Series: The Call of Christmas  
Message: The Call to Praise 
Preacher: Japhet De Oliveira

Refresh: Open with prayer. Read or listen to Psalm 45:1-9.

Read: Luke 2:1-20 — Re-read in the ESV translation for new insights/questions.

Reflect: David E. Garland, in his Exegetical Commentary on Luke, pp. 127-128, shares this:

“The peace that God brings through the Messiah is proclaimed by a heavenly host of angels. It is a peace offered to all people, and the cost of this peace is borne by God alone through the death of His Son. As Talbert notes, God is the source of peace in “(a) the relation of persons and God, (b) the relation of persons with one another, (c) the relations of persons with the natural world, and (d) one’s relation with oneself.” 52 Jesus comes to incarnate and teach the way of peace (1:79), and ignoring it will bring inevitable destruction (19:42 – 44). 

“Tannehill also helpfully outlines how Jesus' reign will differ from that of the world’s current superpower and the world of Realpolitik:
    1. It will extend to “all flesh” (3:6) and include people who are excluded and on the margins for whatever reasons: purity, economic, or ethnic. 
    2. It will require “a new economy” that excludes the accumulation of wealth to eat, drink, and be merry while others starve. It is based on care for the poor. 
    3. It will require a different kind of leadership. ‘The leader is to have no more honor in the community than those who perform the lowliest functions.’ 
    4. It will require a new way of relating to others. It forbids vengeance and is controlled by the love of enemies instead of their subjugation or destruction (6:27 – 36).”

Recalibrate: 

1. What does the Good News, announced by the angels in Luke 2:10, mean to you and to your local community?

Respond: Pray for the opportunity to engage and care for someone.

Research: Pax Romana and compare that peace with the peace Jesus offers.