Houston Congregational Christian Church

Pastor James Manuel
4883 Russia-Houston Road
Houston, OH  45333
Phone:  937-295-3591
Email:  click here

Message Title:     Love Divine

Call to Worship:     Isaiah 9:6

Scripture Reading:    Luke 2:8-14

Prayer:  May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable unto You O Lord on this Your day.

Love Divine.   What a privilege it was for the angel to announce the birth of the Savior.    That first Christmas morning the shepherds heard the Good News of the birth of Christ.         And  WOW!   What a birth announcement.   Luke 2:11,  ‘Today in the town of David   a Savior has been born to you,   He is Christ the Lord.’        The greatest event in history had just happened.   The Messiah had been born.    For ages the Jews has waited for this and when it finally occurred the announcement came to humble shepherds.  

And may I say the fact that God made the announcement to shepherds helps us to understand the real meaning of Christmas.  John 3:16,  ‘God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son.’     And God chose to announce that to shepherds first of all.     Now shepherds were at the opposite end of the social ladder from Kings,  nobles,  all the influential people of the day.    They lived in the fields with their animals.    They weren’t respected.    They had no power or prestige.   Yet God’s angel came to them.    Unto shepherds a Savior was born. 

I believe that in that one simple announcement God made known some very important truths.   First of all God knows you   and you are important to Him.       In Jeremiah 1:4 God tells us,  ‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you.’      My friends no matter how insignificant you may think you are    God knows you and you are important to Him.     All through Scripture we see God honoring and using people and things that the world often overlooks or ignores. 

The Apostle Paul writes in 1 Cor. 1:26-28,  ‘Brothers think of what you were when you were called.  Not many of you were wise by human standards,   not many were influential,   not many were of noble birth.  But God chose the foolish things of the word to shame the wise.  God chose the weak thing of the world to shame the strong.   He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things.’           God uses the lowly and despised to show His power.    So when God decided to select a mother for His Son,   He went past the fashion salons and beauty parlors.   He went past the furs and diamonds and gold.      He went to an insignificant village called Nazareth.   He found a peasant girl.   She didn’t dress in designer clothes.       She didn’t have a sophisticated education.   But she was pure   and God selected her to be the Mother of His only begotten Son.  

So when the Christ Child comes   He was not born in Mt. Sinai Hospital in Jerusalem,  surrounded by doctors and nurses.   Instead He was born in a stable,   Luke 2:7,  ‘And she gave birth to her firstborn, a Son.   She wrapped Him in cloths and placed Him in a manger,  because there was no room for them in the inn.’

The world looks down its nose and says---that’s foolishness.   But Paul says in 1 Cor. 1:25,  ‘The foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength.’      When God makes His announcement    it is delivered to shepherds.       It’s like Jesus saying in the Sermon on the Mount---If God cares about sparrows and lilies    then He cares about you.     If God cares about shepherds  then He cares about you.   

I believe we need to hear that.   Children in orphanages need to hear that when they see younger children being adopted and realize that they may never be adopted.   They need to hear that God cares for them.          We all need to hear that.    All of us have known feelings of rejection.    All of us have known feelings of being left out.       Christmas comes    The light shines and God says----I made the announcement to shepherds    and I make it to you.     Unto YOU a Savior is born.  

Plus your life matters   because God loves you.    I imagine those shepherds may have set around the campfire and wondered if life was really worthwhile or not.  What difference does it make if we watch the sheep or not?      Maybe we wonder too---What difference does it make if I get up every morning.               When God comes and makes His announcement to shepherds.   He is also saying to us---Your life is worthwhile.   It is My gift to you.    Therefore live every golden moment of it   because your life matters to God.      Every life matters.    I believe it’s impossible to live   even for a few moments on this earth and not influence somebody in one way or another.   We are always influencing someone.       Everybody’s life counts for something.  

Some years ago a cartoon appeared in newspapers across the land.   It pictured two farmers in Kentucky standing in a field.   One turned to the other and asked---Anything exciting happen today?             Nah nothing exciting   except there was a baby born over at Tom Lincoln’s home,  but nothing exciting ever happens around here.    But that baby born in the home of Tom Lincoln one day became the President of the U.S.    He changed the course of history.  One life can make a difference.

I wonder if there were people in Bethlehem on that night so long ago asking---Anything exciting happen today?   Maybe they were told---No nothing much.  Oh I hear some woman gave birth to a baby in a stable,  but nothing exciting ever happens around here.       Except that a Baby was born,   A Baby that changed the world.    My friends life counts.   Life matters.   Your life and mine.    Lives of shepherds and lives of kings  are all important to God.  

Finally your Faith matters.   Shepherds were men of faith.    They probably had more faith than some of the scribes and Pharisees who went to the synagogue every day.    They believed in the Messiah.  So when the announcement came to shepherds God was saying----Your faith matters.       I am a God who hears and who keeps His promises.      

Today we as Christians have a great privilege of proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ.            Jesus tells us in Matt. 28:18 to,   ‘Go and make disciples of all nations   baptizing them in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.  And teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.’                 Because my friends one day He will come.   He will come for all of us,  shepherds and kings,   wisemen and peasants.    He will come for His people.   He’ll dry our tears and take away our pain.   There will be no more death  and no more good-bys.      Then we’ll say----It was worth it,  it was worth it.       

Isaiah 9:6,  ‘For unto us a Child is born,   to us a Son is given.’                Love Divine.