Christmas sermon: The Angels Announce the Good News - Luke 1

Christmas comes in the angelic announcement of the good news of Jesus Christ. Imagine the
story of Christmas and angels appearing before Mary, Joseph, and shepherds in an open field.
Angels always indicate the miraculous, mysterious, and majestic work of God in some way.
This sermon announces God's good news. These Bible passages will assist you in
communicating the good news of Christ: Luke 2:8-18 and Luke 2:25-32.

Main Scripture passage: Luke 1:26-38

Introduction

I sat early one Christmas morning and thought about the angels appearing at Christmas. I
pondered angelic appearances at Sodom and Gomorrah, at the ford of the Jabbok River
where Jacob wrestled with an angel of God, and in Psalms where it says "men ate angels'
food." Angels helped Jesus after his wilderness temptation. Revelation mentions angels more
than twenty times. Then, I began to think of angelic appearances to Mary, Joseph, and the
shepherds keeping watch over their flocks.

What do angels look like? In our world of Charlie's Angels, Angels in the Outfield, Touched by
an Angel, and It's a Wonderful Life, most of our images of angels come from Hollywood,
beautiful with fluttering wings, mysterious words, or even looking like ordinary people in. The
Bible tells us that when angels show up they are dazzling, bright, and shining, and arrive with
a specific message. One good word they give in the Christmas story is this: Nothing is
impossible with God.

What do angels announce?

I. Angels announce the miracle of Christmas.

Luke 1:26-38 tells about the appearance of the angel Gabriel (angels have names!) to Mary to
announce that the Holy Spirit will overshadow her and she will give birth to a child to be
named Jesus, meaning "Jehovah is salvation." Mary is troubled, or agitated, or stirred up
within her soul. The angel entered with words of rejoicing, a message of how she had found
favor or grace near God, and with the good news of Christ's birth. Mary asked questions at
first, and then accepted this good news in the depths of her soul. Mary's response was one of
praise, also known as Mary's Song or the Magnificat of Mary in Luke 1:46-55. "My soul
glorifies the Lord!"

C.S. Lewis says of Christmas, "The whole thing narrows and narrows, until at last it comes
down to a little point, as small as the point of a spear - a Jewish girl at her prayers." Mary and
Joseph in their simple faith accepted the good news of Jesus' birth. They demonstrated faith
in God's plan. They experienced God's peace. They heard the angelic word of affirmation, a
word often repeated in the Christmas story, "Do not be afraid!" The miracle of Christmas,
Christ, would soon come.

Think of Christmas: the decorated tree, the lights, the music, the wonderer childlike feel of
the season, the angelic announcement, and the birth of Christ. The hardest part about

1
preaching or singing at Christmas, or hearing the story as adults, is that it no longer affects
our senses. It no longer moves our souls to humility. It no longer moves our lips to give praise
to God for his grace, love, and good news. I fear we do not give consideration to the real
miracle of Christmas. The angels announced the miracle of Christmas, of Christ and salvation
to all humankind. Rejoice! Do not be afraid!

II. Angels announce the mystery of Christmas

Luke 1:31-33 describes the mystery of Christ. The drama of Christmas comes as if God has
pulled back a curtain on the world's stage and placed a spotlight on Christ born in Bethlehem.
What will Christ be? He will be named Jesus, a reference to salvation. He will be great, an
indication of his power. He will possess a kingdom - not like Roman emperors in their
grandeur, with their golden crowns, and armies with chariots and horses that will one day
end - but a kingdom of faith, hope, and love that will have no end.

Mary asks another question: "How can this be?" The angelic response was one of good and
glorious news: the Holy Spirit will fall on you and you shall conceive and give birth to the Son
of God. John Updike is right when he says, "Our brains are no longer conditioned for
reverence and awe." However, to appreciate Christmas, to humble ourselves in its glory,
simplicity, and humility, we must revere Christ and stand in awe in spite of the mystery. The
angelic announcement is mysterious. The virgin birth is mysterious. God sending his own Son
into the world to a Jewish girl in Galilee is mysterious. However, the mystery keeps us
occupied, intrigued, and drawn all the more to Christ.

Do you ever race through Christmas and lose a sense of wrapping your heart and mind
around the mystery of Christ? Do you revere Christ as you should? Do you stand in awe? Our
God is an awesome God in his miracle of salvation and in the mystery of his message of hope!

III. Angels state the majesty of Christmas

The not-so-obvious message of Christmas is found in Luke 1:36, a message to Elizabeth and
Mary: Nothing is impossible with God! When we lose our sense of the miracle and mystery of
Christmas, we're bound to lose a sense that God can do anything. If Christmas teaches us
anything it is that all things are possible with God. The Christ of Christmas invites us to place
our faith in Him and watch him produce within us a spirit of hope. This hope is more than
positive thinking. It is more than a good attitude. It is more than a good feeling on a sunny
day. It is a hope rooted in Christ's birth, death, burial, resurrection, and life that secures our
present through the salvation of the cross and guarantees our future because we believe in
him. When our present faith and future grace in Christ join hands, Christ carries us today and
into tomorrow, and we have hope no matter what comes our way. We experience the
majesty and grandeur of Christ as he carries us day by day. We can then respond to life's
pain, pressure, struggle, anxiety, and fear with the spirit of the angels: Nothing is impossible
with God.

Conclusion

Walt Whitman wrote about "America's teeming intricate whirl." That is, that we in America
pride ourselves too much on being busy and cramming our time with stuff. In the whirlwind
2
of Christmas, exhausting in its hectic pace, it would do us good to pause, to hear the rush of
angel's wings, and to hear God's message as announced afresh: Christ the Savior has come!
Nothing is impossible with God.

Years ago in a children's musical in our church the children were dressed as Mary, Joseph, the
shepherds, and angels. In one hushed moment one of the characters recited a line: "Stop!
Look! Listen for Christmas!" May prayer is that we can slow down this Christmas, recapture
the miracle, the mystery, and the majesty of Christmas. If we do, we're bound to respond like
Mary did, "My soul praises God my Savior!" Merry Christmas!

Christmas sermon: Interruptions at Christmas - Matthew 1

Scriptures: Matthew 1:18-25

We have tremendously high expectations of Christmas. We want everything to be perfect.

We have pictures in our minds of children playing, church choirs singing, and people smiling

3
and getting along. But often it is not that way. It is supposed to be, as the song says, "the
most wonderful time of the year" and the "hap-happiest season of all." But for many it will be
a very difficult time because something has interrupted the joy. It may be sickness, or death,
or divorce, or loneliness.

We look to the Christmas season to be a time of perfect peace, harmony, and joy. But the
first Christmas was not that way. It was an interruption.

Interruptions can happen at any good time. Consider the timing of Joseph and Mary's
interruption. They were engaged to be married. Like Christmas, an engagement is supposed
to be a wonderous time. But it was during this time that an angel appeared to Mary and told
her that she would miraculously, as a virgin, conceive and give birth to the Son of God. What
joyful news! Yet, what an interruption! How would she explain her pregnancy to Joseph?
Would he believe her? Would he be willing to take on that responsibility? This was not in
their plans. And yet, she accepted it.

We know how Joseph responded. He didn't believe her. How could he? His plans for a happy
home with the woman he loved were dashed before his eyes. His life, as well as hers, had
been powerfully interrupted.

Last Christmas season I received a call from my dermatologist's office. Early in December I
had a dark spot removed from the top of my left ear. The surgeon didn't think it was anything
to be concerned about, but they would send it off for analysis. If it were okay, they would
send me a letter. If there was a problem, they would call me on the phone. Several days later,
as I was sitting in my office, Teresa told me Dr. Monheit's office was on the line. I knew
immediately that the growth was melanoma. I went home and cried. My Christmas season
was overshadowed with a dark cloud of fear as I wondered if the cancer had spread.
Interruptions can come at any time.

If we are not careful, our response to an interruption can send us down the wrong path.
Joseph nearly went down the wrong path. When he discovered Mary's pregnancy, he was
devastated. He couldn't buy her story about a virgin conception. As much as he loved her and
wanted to be with her, there was nothing to do but divorce her.

A betrothal - an ancient engagement - was much more binding than today's engagements.
The only way out of one was divorce. In fact, Joseph had the right to have her stoned to
death for infidelity. Yet because he was a good man, he did not want to harm her or even
embarrass her. He would divorce her privately. This was Joseph's human response to a
powerful interruption. But what a mistake it would have been.

Often an interruption brings on a knee-jerk reaction. We make decisions that, if we were

better informed, we would not make. We must be careful that when we face an interruption,
we don't just react according to our own fears and feelings.

The key to handling an interruption is to get God's take on it. Thankfully, God rescued Joseph
from his error. I can imagine Joseph, having learned of Mary's situation, tossing and turning in
bed, trying to decide what to do. Finally, he decides. He will divorce her privately. But while
he is sleeping an angel of the Lord appears to him in a dream and says,
4
"Joseph, don't be afraid to take Mary as your wife. What she says is true. The child in her
womb is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son and you are to give him the name
Jesus because he will save his people from their sins. This is in fulfillment of what God said
through Isaiah the prophet, 'The virgin shall conceive and give birth to a son, and He shall be
called Immanuel meaning 'God with us.'"

Joseph awoke with a changed mind. He would not divorce Mary. He would take her as his
wife and help raise this miraculous child. He had gotten God's perspective of his interruption.

When you encounter an interruption, whatever it may be, don't react according to your own
feelings and thoughts. Seek God's direction. Remember Proverbs 3:5-6: "Trust in the LORD
with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding; think about Him in all your
ways, and He will guide you on the right paths" (HCSB).

Here are three words to remember when you encounter an interruption.

Prayer
The first thing to do when your life is interrupted is stop and pray. Pray for guidance. Pray for
courage. Pray for help. When you look to God He will help you.

Perspective
Put the interruption in the proper perspective. How bad is it really? How long will it actually
be important? What difference will it make in eternity?

Providence
Keep in mind that God, in His providence, is still in control of your life. Nothing can happen to
you without the leave and notice of your Father. He still has all of the hairs on your head
numbered.

Interruptions can at times positively redirect our lives. This was true of Joseph and Mary.
Their plans were interrupted, but oh what an interruption. Can you imagine a more
wonderful privilege, or a more challenging responsibility, than to be the human parents of
the Son of God? The direction their future took was not what they had planned, but it was so
much better.

Have you ever considered that God could do that kind of thing in your life? Not that you
would be made the parents of the Son of God, but that God would take what seems to be an
interruption, an unforeseen problem, and use it to set your life on a new and better path.

Whatever interruption you may be enduring right now, why not look at it in a different light,
and ask, "God, are you using this to do something great in my life?" Then begin to look for the
marvelous things He will do.

Whatever interruption you may be experiencing this Christmas, there is one thing you can
do: stop and give thanks to God for Jesus. And as you praise and thank God, even in the midst
of difficult circumstances, something of the peace that Jesus came to bring will be yours.

5
6