The Birthday of a King: Christmas’ Good News (Luke 2:10-12)

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 “And the sky was bright with a holy light. 'Twas the birthday of a King.” – William Harold Neidlinger 🎄

Dear persistent performer,

Are you always watching your actions to get a reward? To be on Santa’s Nice List, did young you strived hard?

That can really be tiring. It can feel hopeless at some point when you realize you can’t do it all, for your strength isn’t enough. But do you know the Hope of humanity? Do you know the reason for Christmas’ gaiety?

We’re taking a break from our journey from the beginning of the Bible. If you’re following along this blog, you’re likely expecting Leviticus to be next. We’ll have that next to this. Right now, think of this as the holiday episode.

Luke 2:10-12 (Celina’s Version)

The angel said, “Fear not, for lo,

Today, I bring you good tidings:

All will be joyful for a Savior is born

In the city of David, great among kings.

He’s the awaited Christ the Lord!

To you I will give this harbinger:

You will find a Baby wrapped in cloths

And lying in a stable manger.”

God's angel proclaiming the birth of Jesus to shepherds (created in Animal Crossing: New Horizons)

At first, I wanted to include the whole narrative of Jesus’ birthday. For those who want to read it, go to Matthew 1:18-25 and Luke 2:1-20. I’d like for this post to focus on these three verses above, for I believe they concisely introduce the gospel.

Let’s start with verse 10: “Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people (NASB).” This angel is talking to the shepherds in the same region where Christ was born. During that time, shepherds held a low position in society (Alcorn, 2008). Even way back in Genesis, Egyptians consider them abominable (Genesis 46:34). “God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are,” Paul and Sosthenes wrote in Corinthians 1:28 (NIV).

From the unexpected gesture of announcing to shepherds, we see God doesn’t require us to be qualified in order to be part of His kingdom. The good news of Baby Jesus spread through ordinary shepherds.

I can relate to this because I consider myself worthless apart from God. Who am I to write these things and try to promote to the world the King of kings? My younger self didn’t think that I had the right to speak or that my voice needed to be heard. I have liked writing ever since I started journaling as a child, but I didn’t see this as a career to pursue, and yet, here I am. I’m doing this blog as my ministry, though, not as my means of living. God put it in my heart to write for Him. I’ve been writing poems for leisure since college starting in 2011. Only God was my audience. On 2020’s Easter Sunday, He put a light bulb over my head, but its glow didn’t last: I had this idea for a poetry book. I wrote 8 chapters, and then I quitted. By the way, our passage today is a glimpse of that book, but I made a few changes so that it would truly state what’s in the Scriptures. This year 2021, the bulb lit up again, but this time, it brightly shone this idea of blogging about God’s Word.

Every gospel sharer has this one essential message: Jesus is the Savior. It can actually be shortened to one word, Jesus, which means “Jehovah is salvation” (Lockyer, 1988). This is what verse 11 speaks of: “For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” We celebrate Christmas because God came to earth as man to save humanity. We’re merry because we’re given the Best Gift of all. We don’t deserve Him, but He so loves us that He gave Himself away.

Our final verse says, “And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.” From the beginning of His earthly life, He was humble. He was the Son of God Most High, yet His first dwelling was a stable (Associates for Biblical Research, 1995). Here was the start of sacrificial love. He could have been born to a royal family, but his earthly father was in the line of carpentry. He did the same job submissively. I imagine Him growing up with a typical earth life, an existence where you labor for your meals. However, there’s more to life than food (Luke 12:23); He said that Himself. That part of the gospels is on worry and He tells us to seek His kingdom, His reign in our lives. Make Him your King, and you won’t have to be anxious about anything. He came to take the burdens we’re carrying.

If He's not your God, what are you living for? I believe in every human, there’s a search for meaning, and seeing the vanity of life could weigh one down. In Ecclesiastes, King Solomon tried to find fulfillment from science, philosophy, wealth, and perhaps everything under the sun. In the end, he concluded that the whole duty of man is to fear God and follow His commandments. There it is—another burden, keeping the law. You depend on yourself to make sure you don’t violate it. If righteousness is based on deeds, Christ came and died for nothing. Once you understand the gospel, you know that you’re free from the law’s curse, sin, when Jesus is your Lord. He has fulfilled the law. In Him is forgiveness; in Him is redemption. Nailed with Him on the cross is the world’s sin collection.

Think one grand luxury could be the greatest present? I believe it’s God lifting up our load. We don’t need another thing to live an abundant life. Let go of everything, and hold on to Jesus as your only Treasure. He’s the Reward we don’t work after for, yet He’s the Reason that in life we put in more. We go the extra mile to share His love. We do our best for the glory of God above.

Merry Christmas!

With love,

Celina <3


References

Alcorn, R. (2008, March 11). Shepherd's Status. Retrieved from EPM.org: https://www.epm.org/resources/2008/Mar/11/shepherds-status/

Associates for Biblical Research. (1995). Was Jesus born in a stable? a cave? a barn? Retrieved from ChristianAnswers.Net: https://christiananswers.net/q-abr/abr-a012.html

Lockyer, H. (1988). Joshua, Jehoshua, Jehoshuah, Jeshua, Jesus. Retrieved from Bible Gateway: https://www.biblegateway.com/resources/all-men-bible/Joshua-Jehoshua-Jehoshuah

 

I like writing. I like rhyming. I hope you'll like the light God's shining.

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