Series: What Child Is This?
Sermon: Shepherds
Speaker: Japhet De Oliveira
Writer: Japhet De Oliveira
Kids Sections: Jessyka Albert
Refresh: Open with prayer. Ask for the Holy Spirit to open your heart to new understanding and for God’s character to be revealed.
Read: Luke 2:8–20 in the New Living Translation (NLT). Note 1–3 insights or questions.
Reflect: Yesterday, we said that Luke intentionally set the scene for a momentous contrast between the self-declared messiah (Caesar Augustus) and the true Messiah—Jesus. He will not let this idea rest, and, as N. T. Wright puts it, Luke sees this tension is critical for the followers of Jesus back then and today. He writes:
The birth of this little boy is the beginning of a confrontation between the kingdom of God—in all its apparent weakness, insignificance and vulnerability—and the kingdoms of the world. Augustus never heard of Jesus of Nazareth. But within a century or so his successors in Rome had not only heard of him; they were taking steps to obliterate his followers. Within just over three centuries the Emperor himself became a Christian. When you see the manger on a card, or in church, don’t stop at the crib. See what it’s pointing to. It is pointing to the explosive truth that the baby lying there is already being spoken of as the true king of the world. The rest of Luke’s story, both in the gospel and, later on, in Acts, will tell how he comes into his kingdom. (Luke for Everyone, pp. 23-24)
In the midst of that chaos arrives Jesus. I am not sure what your Christmas will be like this year. Christmas may be a season that conjures up pain because of the loss of loved ones or the emptiness created by the loneliness you experience. Remember that Jesus is here. It might be that Christmas is hard because you can't give the gifts you wish you could. It might be hard because the gifts you receive hurt your pride. Remember that Jesus is here. It could be that while everyone else around you is singing carols and hymns, you simply wish to belong to a community or group of friends. Remember that Jesus is here. This Christmas will be different.
Recalibrate: How can you bring the joy of Jesus to your life or someone else's today?
Respond: Pray for the opportunity to serve in some special way.
Research: Where did the fable of Santa Claus come from and how does his narrative compare to the story of Jesus?
Live Wonder (ages 0–3)
The angels appeared to the shepherds on what seemed to be an ordinary night. Find a way to experience God’s presence in the normal aspects of your life today: tummy time, lunch, nap time, going for a walk, story time. Pray with your child that you both see Jesus in all the parts of your day.
Live Adventure (ages 4–11)
Some parts of the day are really fun and some parts can sometimes be a little boring. Sometimes long walks or car drives can be boring. The shepherds had to travel to see baby Jesus; do you think they were bored or excited? How can you make something boring into an adventure?
Live Purpose (ages 12–16)
Getting good news is always energizing! When was the last time you got some really good news? How does good news make you feel?