oh holy night

Print from She Reads Truth Christmas Advent 2015

Luke 2:1-7

O Holy Night, is one of my favorite Christmas songs of all time.  It's the perfect description of the story we read and celebrate in Luke chapter 2. Truly, it was a holy night. A night set apart from any other. The weary world had been waiting for the arrival of the Messiah. In fact, they were waiting with great anticipation for the One who draws near to the brokenhearted, sets the captives free, rescues us from the pit of despair, and the One and Only who delivers us from our sin.

This is the Good News of the Gospel. This is the very first Christmas. But before we jump into what's taking place in Luke chapter 2, we have to go back to the very beginning to the book of Genesis for just a moment. It's here that we can so clearly see God’s heart for us and yet we can also identify with the heart of man, in this case Adam and Eve. God’s original plan was simple. It was for us to enjoy His presence; to walk with Him in perfect communion and uninterrupted fellowship, without all the distractions that clutter our life and most importantly without sin.

Psalm 16:11 says, in Your presence if the fullness of joy!

 Indescribable JOY! That was His plan.

But man made a choice. Adam and Eve chose sin over God. They chose the temporary satisfaction of the flesh over the God who loves them, who created them and who delights in them. But despite the choices they made & despite the choices we make, God chose man.

He chose us.

He chose to restore what was broken and save what was lost. We’re the broken and the lost. He chose me and He chose you. The price for His choice was costly; it cost Him His One and Only Son. Oh Holy Night, indeed! Redemption was on the way.

Everything we read in Luke 2 verses 1-7 was prophesied in the Old Testament. For years, the people had been hearing about the Messiah’s coming.  They had been waiting and watching. Finally, the time had come. The waiting was over. The prophecy was fulfilled; the HOPE of the WORLD was born!

The words from that familiar Christmas song, O Holy Night, describe the scene so perfectly. It says…

Oh holy night. The stars are brightly shining

It is the night of our dear Savior's birth

Long lay the world in sin and error pining

'Til He appeared and the soul felt its worth

A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices.

The greatest gift of all time, God’s plan for salvation for all people, the Savior swaddled in a blanket lying in a manager because there was no place for them in the Inn. And God did it for one reason >>> because He loves us.

>>>>>And because of His great love for us, now…<<<<<

Joy has a name

Peace has a name

Hope has a name

Love has a name

And His name is Jesus! 

Oh Holy Night, our Redeemer is born! 

Luke 2:8-14 Our Great King

The King of Kings is born. Surely the Savior of the World would have a birth announcement worthy of royalty. But that’s not at all what happened. We read His birth announcement in Luke 2: 8-14: 

"And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace…” (ESV)

The Gospel of Peace was here. Glory! I love that the angels appeared first to the shepherds because they were common people. They had no social status or inheritance. They were humble men with little means. In fact, the shepherds were looked down upon by many people. By announcing Jesus’ birth to the shepherds, God was demonstrating His love for every one of us. Jesus came for everyone. The Good News of the Gospel is for all people. His love for me and His love for you is perfect and it is equal. His love for us is not dependent on who we are or what we’ve done!

I also love that the angels appeared to the shepherds first because it’s a foreshadowing for what’s to come. God had already been preparing the way but now the Son of God was born and it set in motion the plan for our salvation. In John 10 Jesus says, “I am the good shepherd; I know my own sheep, and they know me, just as my Father knows me and I know the Father. So I sacrifice my life for the sheep.” I love that so much! We are His sheep and He is our Shepherd. Jesus was born so that He could to be crucified on a cross for us. He chose death so we could have life. 1 John 3:1 says,  “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” Amen & amen!

Another portion of the Christmas song, O Holy Night says, 

The King of Kings lay thus in lowly manger;

In all our trials born to be our friend.

He knows our need, to our weakness is no stranger,
Behold your King! Before Him lowly bend!

Luke 2:15-20 Worship

When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished, but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often. The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them (NLT).

I loved that the shepherd’s immediately believed. There was no discussion, debate, or even doubt about what they had just seen. They said, “Let’s go to Bethlehem!” And they couldn’t get there fast enough. It says that they “hurried” to the village… they wasted no time making their way to see this miracle, the birth of their Savior. And they “told everyone” what had happened.

So what do we do with this gift of salvation given to us through Jesus? There’s only one appropriate response, we WORSHIP.

A chorus from O Holy Night says…

Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,

Let all within us praise His holy name.

Christ is the Lord! O praise His Name forever,

His power and glory evermore proclaim.

We, too, are a people who are waiting. Scripture is clear that Jesus is coming again.  As children of God, He is coming to take us to Himself and make everything new. We will be ushered into the presence of God and wherever He is we will also be for eternity. As a people who have put our trust in Jesus, we have the assurance of Living Hope and Joy for His return!

But in the waiting, we have a choice. Will we choose to do as the shepherds did and WORSHIP? We worship not only in song but we worship God in the way we live our life. We say, “yes Lord, I believe you did this for me and I thank you for the gift of salvation.” Then by the power of the Holy Spirit, we’re transformed and so we live differently. The part of the story that is familiar but not in this portion of Scripture is that later the Three Wiseman come to see Jesus and they give their best gifts to the king, this sweet little baby... gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh, some of the finest things in the ancient world. So if our response to this amazing gift is worship, then we have to ask ourselves,

“Are we giving God our best?

Are we giving Him the best of our time, resources, energy & gifts? Will we pour out our life as an offering, telling others what we’ve seen & heard so that they may believe and be saved? Will we live in a way that brings glory and honor to Him and Him alone?

I pray we’ll celebrate the true meaning of this Christmas season and let it linger in our hearts all year long. Yes, we’ll enjoy the feasting, fellowshipping and time spent with loved ones. And like the shepherds who went back to their flock, we too are going back to our “flock”… our people, our homes, our families, our work places. Will be like the shepherds who left the presence of God glorifying and praising Him? Not just at Christmas but everyday of the year. My prayer is that after the Christmas tree is down and the presents are unwrapped, that we’ll live a life of worship…because we’ve been given the greatest gift, Jesus. But a gift is only a gift if we give it away. Will we resolve to be a people, in our communities, who love God and love His people and spend our lives giving Him away? That’s my prayer for me, my family, my community and for all of you who are reading this post. 

I want to end with one more chorus from O Holy night, …

Let all within us praise His holy name.

Christ is the Lord! O praise His Name forever,

His power and glory evermore proclaim.    

Merry Christmas!