It’s Advent, that time of year when we celebrate the birth of Jesus. There are some things about the Good News of Jesus’ birth that might seem obvious but are deeply profound for the Christian. Luke 2:1-14 invites us to see three incredible things:
Luke 2:8 says there were shepherds keeping watch over their fields at night. Matthew, in his version of the birth of Jesus, reminds us that the Magi came to find Jesus by following a star at night.
Some of you are currently being invited by God into what I would call a “night faith.” What I mean by that is this: God is asking you to hold firmly, to cling tightly, to hang onto your faith while you walk through some kind of tunnel of darkness. You are being called to faith in the night.
You might be experiencing heartache, loss, a diagnosis, the death of some dream, or maybe you find yourself in a confusing situation — you are praying and hoping but simultaneously wondering what in the world God is doing. Psalm 88 talks about this spiritual phenomenon when God seems to hide from us.
Believe it or not, this stage of faith for the Christian is very normal, though we don’t talk much about seasons of darkness.
This is a part of the spiritual life where God is actually growing and maturing us. But unfortunately, a lot of followers of Jesus walk away from God at this point in their faith journey.
So, the Good News of Jesus’ birth, being delivered at night — this is not coincidental. This is God saying, “Look, beloved, I know it’s dark. I know you can barely see in front of you. I know you don’t know how this will turn out. I know there are things hidden from your understanding right now. I know you feel lonely and afraid. But I am telling you that you, you do not have to fear because morning is coming. Light is coming. A new day is dawning. I am with you in the darkness.”
Your job, in your tunnel of darkness, in the waiting, is to be like the shepherds in Luke 2. What were they doing in the darkness?
They were keeping watch over the sheep God had entrusted to them. They were doing their daily vocation, practicing their daily habit. They were living faithfully. And in that dark place, the glory of God showed up and shone all around them.
For some of you, God is saying, “I know it’s hard to see right now, but even so, stay faithful to me. I am doing something here in the darkness.”
The shepherds in their darkness were simply doing their job. They’re working the night shift — but that work was meaningful.
These mundane acts of faithfulness, when no one is watching in the darkest seasons of your life, are how we practice faith in the dark, and this is when God shows up with miracles, with good news of great joy.
Into your darkest midnight, dawn is coming, the morning is coming. Things will not remain night forever. That’s a promise from God himself in Jesus.
Why does it matter that Jesus was born to us as a baby? Jesus could have come as a man, a toddler, or even a teenager. He could have just magically shown up on the scene.
But Jesus lived within the limits he gave to us. God humbled himself in this way and took on the entirety of the human experience, including human birth. Why? So that the entirety of our humanity can be saved, redeemed, restored, and renewed in him.
Jesus arrived the way we all arrive, as helpless babies. Because of that, we have a Savior who is not just loosely associated with us. We have a Savior who is one of us, with us.
Let me give you an anecdote of what I mean. I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease called Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) about 10 years ago.
I am doing great now, but it has been a long journey for me, one of limitedness, of learning my body's weakness, and of learning how to strengthen and improve my immune system.
Some of you have an innate sense of compassion or understanding for me, even if you haven’t walked on that exact journey.
But my husband, who has walked next to me through the ups and downs of this disease for nearly a decade now, well, he has a greater sense than most people of what RA is like.
But if you have RA yourself, or if you have a similar autoimmune disease, then you really know what this is like — what it feels like, how it hurts, and what needs to be done.
But believe it or not, I actually have a doctor, a rheumatologist, who has an autoimmune disease herself. So, she knows how to help heal me because of her training, skillset, and education.
And she also knows exactly how I feel, exactly what my body is doing, exactly what I am going through because she has walked it herself.
She is outside of my disease, so she can work for my healing. But she is also inside of it enough to show me deep compassion and empathy, grace and mercy as she cares for me and walks with me and leads me.
This is why Jesus was born as a baby. We have, in Jesus, a Healer who is both with us and outside of us enough.
Because of that, he is truly the only one who can save us from our human predicament of sin and weakness, ego, apathy, and selfishness.
Because Jesus came as a baby and lived the life we live, but did it perfectly, sinlessly, he is our healer and our empathizer. Our king and our friend. Our leader and our brother.
Because he was born unto us — when you need strength, you have Jesus’ strength. When you need help, you have Jesus’ help.
When you need compassion, you have Jesus’ compassion. When you need a friend, you have Jesus’ companionship. And when you need rescue and healing and leadership and guidance, you have Jesus’ lordship and authority.
All of this good news of Jesus’ birth is for all the people. It is not just good news for the elite or powerful; it is good news for the oppressed, the free, the young, the old, the man, the woman, all of us.
Some of us believe a lie that the Good News of Jesus and the favor of God is only for some special chosen few. There’s a lie that God doles out blessings and favor and honor for some but not for others. God says his Good News, his favor, his peace — is for all who call on Jesus.
In fact, the birth story of Jesus is positioned very purposefully as the antidote to the corrupt powers of the day. Luke 2 begins with Caesar Augustus, the Roman emperor, who was hailed as a savior and lord, issuing a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world.
Why in the world would a Caesar decide, at this moment of all moments to force his people to endure a census?
This is a power move. But Caesar, who intends to gather more power for his own Kingdom, doesn’t even realize that God has used his own ego to initiate the fulfillment of ancient prophecy.
Jesus would be born in Bethlehem, as the scriptures foretold, because of this census. It’s like God is beating Caesar at his own game. God’s like, “You think you’re in control? You’re not.”
God has been transforming lives and shaping history over and above, and in spite of corrupt men of power throughout the entirety of time and space, and he’s not about to stop now.
The good news of Jesus’ birth is for all. It’s our news. So even when the tides of history make it hard to see, the birth of Jesus brings great joy for all the people — young and old, rich and poor, powerful and weak, joyful and mourning.
We have a savior who was born to us, born to take our sins on himself on the cross, born to give us eternal life with him. As the Christmas song “Oh Holy Night” says,
Let all within us Praise His Holy name Christ is the Lord; O praise His name forever! His power and glory evermore proclaim
Reflections on the Good News of Jesus:
For further reading:
5 Things Christians Should Know about Advent
Advent Prayers for 2023 to Prepare Your Heart for Christmas
6 Simple Steps to Start Meaningful Advent Traditions with Your Family
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