Advent2025_Dec16
Good News of Great Joy
Luke 2:8–14
If you were announcing the birth of the Savior, you might choose the halls of power, like the White House, or the Supreme Court, or an NFL Stadium. But God chooses a different setting entirely: the open fields outside Bethlehem, under a sky that has watched over shepherds for generations. These men were not influential nor even respectable. They were ordinary, worked through the night, were often overlooked, and were seldom, if ever, admired.
And it is to them that the glory of the Lord suddenly shines. The darkness breaks open with light, and the first announcement of the gospel is given not to the proud, but to the poor:
“Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.”
This is the heart of Christmas in a single sentence. Not advice. Not instruction. Not a call to self-improvement. News. News that produces joy. And not joy for a select few, but for all people.
Because today, not someday, but today, a Savior has been born. Not merely a teacher only, nor only an example, but a Savior. One who rescues. One who delivers. One who does for us what we cannot do for ourselves.
And this Savior has three titles the angels want us to hear. First, He is Savior: the One who delivers us from sin and death. He is also Christ: the long-promised Messiah, the anointed King. And He is Lord: a title used for God Himself. The baby lying in the manger is no ordinary child. He is God’s promised King. He is God’s saving grace. He is God in the flesh.
Once the angel finishes speaking, heaven cannot hold back. A multitude of the heavenly host appears, praising God and saying: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom He is pleased!”
It is as though heaven has been waiting for this moment . . . waiting for centuries of prophecy to come true, waiting for the Savior to arrive, waiting for the glory of God to break into the world once again. And when it happens, the angels instantly erupt in praise. The silence of the night becomes the music of heaven.
Notice the order: First, glory to God. Then, peace on earth.
We cannot have the second without the first. Peace comes only when God is given His rightful glory; when we recognize that salvation is His work, His grace, His gift to the world.
This is the good news of great joy. A Savior has come. Christ has come. The Lord has come. And because He has, the world can never be the same.
_____
For Young Ones: Who did the angels tell the good news to? Why do you think God chose shepherds?
For Older Ones: Which title of Jesus (Savior, Christ, or Lord) shapes not only your hope, but how you speak about Him to others?
Pray: Lord, thank You for bringing good news of great joy into our world. Help us receive it with faith and praise You for Your saving grace.
Family Practice: Listen to or sing the first verse of Hark! The Herald Angels Sing together. Let the lyrics help you praise God for sending His Son.
Luke 2:8–14
If you were announcing the birth of the Savior, you might choose the halls of power, like the White House, or the Supreme Court, or an NFL Stadium. But God chooses a different setting entirely: the open fields outside Bethlehem, under a sky that has watched over shepherds for generations. These men were not influential nor even respectable. They were ordinary, worked through the night, were often overlooked, and were seldom, if ever, admired.
And it is to them that the glory of the Lord suddenly shines. The darkness breaks open with light, and the first announcement of the gospel is given not to the proud, but to the poor:
“Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.”
This is the heart of Christmas in a single sentence. Not advice. Not instruction. Not a call to self-improvement. News. News that produces joy. And not joy for a select few, but for all people.
Because today, not someday, but today, a Savior has been born. Not merely a teacher only, nor only an example, but a Savior. One who rescues. One who delivers. One who does for us what we cannot do for ourselves.
And this Savior has three titles the angels want us to hear. First, He is Savior: the One who delivers us from sin and death. He is also Christ: the long-promised Messiah, the anointed King. And He is Lord: a title used for God Himself. The baby lying in the manger is no ordinary child. He is God’s promised King. He is God’s saving grace. He is God in the flesh.
Once the angel finishes speaking, heaven cannot hold back. A multitude of the heavenly host appears, praising God and saying: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom He is pleased!”
It is as though heaven has been waiting for this moment . . . waiting for centuries of prophecy to come true, waiting for the Savior to arrive, waiting for the glory of God to break into the world once again. And when it happens, the angels instantly erupt in praise. The silence of the night becomes the music of heaven.
Notice the order: First, glory to God. Then, peace on earth.
We cannot have the second without the first. Peace comes only when God is given His rightful glory; when we recognize that salvation is His work, His grace, His gift to the world.
This is the good news of great joy. A Savior has come. Christ has come. The Lord has come. And because He has, the world can never be the same.
_____
For Young Ones: Who did the angels tell the good news to? Why do you think God chose shepherds?
For Older Ones: Which title of Jesus (Savior, Christ, or Lord) shapes not only your hope, but how you speak about Him to others?
Pray: Lord, thank You for bringing good news of great joy into our world. Help us receive it with faith and praise You for Your saving grace.
Family Practice: Listen to or sing the first verse of Hark! The Herald Angels Sing together. Let the lyrics help you praise God for sending His Son.
"Dig Deeper" Text Note
Savior, Christ, Lord
When the angels proclaim the birth of Jesus, they give Him three titles packed with Old Testament meaning. Each title is a doorway into centuries of promise. Together they reveal the full identity of the Child lying in a manger.
1. Savior (σωτήρ - “sōtār´”): The One Who Rescues
“Savior” is not a sentimental holiday word. It is a divine title. In the Old Testament, God alone is the Savior:
Israel longed for a Savior who would deliver them from sin, judgment, and exile (Isa. 52:7; 53:4–6; Ps. 130:7–8). So when the angels declare, “A Savior is born,” they are saying that God Himself has come, not to give good advice, but to give new life.
If our greatest need were information, God would have sent a teacher. If it were repair, He would’ve sent a technician. But because our greatest need is forgiveness, He sent a Savior.
2. Christ (Хριστός - “Christos”): The Anointed King
“Christ” means “Anointed One,” the long-awaited Messiah promised throughout the Scriptures. God had pledged to David a Son who would reign forever (2 Sam. 7:12–16; Ps. 2:2; Ps. 110). The prophets foretold a coming King who would rule in justice and peace (Isa. 9:6–7; Jer. 23:5–6; Dan. 9:25).
To call the newborn child Christ is to say: The King has finally come. The wait is over.
This is no spiritual consultant arriving to offer religious improvement. This is the rightful King stepping into His world in humility.
3. Lord (κύριος - “ku´rios”): God in the Flesh
Lord is the most breathtaking title of the three. In the Greek Old Testament (the Septuagint), κύριος (Lord) is the standard rendering of the divine name YHWH, the covenant God of Israel.
To give that title to a newborn baby is either blasphemy . . . or truth of the highest order. And Luke leaves no doubt . . . he One who spoke light into the world now lies beneath the light of a Bethlehem star. The Lord of Hosts has taken on human flesh.
Why Luke Gives All Three Titles Together
Each title says something essential:
One title cannot contain Him. All three barely can. And with one glorious announcement, the angels preach the clearest Christmas sermon ever given:
“A Savior, who is Christ, the Lord.”
The world has never received better news.
When the angels proclaim the birth of Jesus, they give Him three titles packed with Old Testament meaning. Each title is a doorway into centuries of promise. Together they reveal the full identity of the Child lying in a manger.
1. Savior (σωτήρ - “sōtār´”): The One Who Rescues
“Savior” is not a sentimental holiday word. It is a divine title. In the Old Testament, God alone is the Savior:
- “Besides Me there is no savior.” (Isa. 43:11)
- “All the ends of the earth . . . He is the Savior.” (Isa. 45:21–22)
Israel longed for a Savior who would deliver them from sin, judgment, and exile (Isa. 52:7; 53:4–6; Ps. 130:7–8). So when the angels declare, “A Savior is born,” they are saying that God Himself has come, not to give good advice, but to give new life.
If our greatest need were information, God would have sent a teacher. If it were repair, He would’ve sent a technician. But because our greatest need is forgiveness, He sent a Savior.
2. Christ (Хριστός - “Christos”): The Anointed King
“Christ” means “Anointed One,” the long-awaited Messiah promised throughout the Scriptures. God had pledged to David a Son who would reign forever (2 Sam. 7:12–16; Ps. 2:2; Ps. 110). The prophets foretold a coming King who would rule in justice and peace (Isa. 9:6–7; Jer. 23:5–6; Dan. 9:25).
To call the newborn child Christ is to say: The King has finally come. The wait is over.
This is no spiritual consultant arriving to offer religious improvement. This is the rightful King stepping into His world in humility.
3. Lord (κύριος - “ku´rios”): God in the Flesh
Lord is the most breathtaking title of the three. In the Greek Old Testament (the Septuagint), κύριος (Lord) is the standard rendering of the divine name YHWH, the covenant God of Israel.
To give that title to a newborn baby is either blasphemy . . . or truth of the highest order. And Luke leaves no doubt . . . he One who spoke light into the world now lies beneath the light of a Bethlehem star. The Lord of Hosts has taken on human flesh.
Why Luke Gives All Three Titles Together
Each title says something essential:
- Savior: He rescues us from sin.
- Christ: He reigns as God’s promised King.
- Lord: He is God Himself, come to dwell with His people.
One title cannot contain Him. All three barely can. And with one glorious announcement, the angels preach the clearest Christmas sermon ever given:
“A Savior, who is Christ, the Lord.”
The world has never received better news.
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