Morning: The message, "Responding to God's Message," explored Luke 2:15-20. Through this passage, we looked at 5 ways people responded to the announcement of Jesus' birth.
The first way is they responded by investigating what they heard. They approached the task with faith, obedience, and anticipation. They believed that they had heard a word from the Lord. They responded to the call to go and see. They anticipated finding what they went after.
Once they saw the child they began spreading the news. They told everyone they came into contact with about what the angel had told them. It appears that there was an immediate and hurried response to this message on the part of the shepherds.
The people responded with amazement. It was an exciting story, and the people found it interesting. However, they really didn't give it much thought. On they day the heard it, it was news. The next day, they moved on the other news.
Luke contrasts Mary's response to that of the crowd. She responds by meditating on the events. She played them over and over again in her mind. She held on to them, trying to fit the pieces together.
Finally, we return to the shepherds. Upon finishing their investigation and reporting, they returned home giving glory to God and praising him.
These are just some of the ways people respond to the message of God. They are all worthy of imitation if they drive us to trust the Lord. Once we have heard the message, a response is required. Approach that response with faith, obedience, and anticipation.
Evening: We sought to answer the question: "Why did Jesus come?". We looked at Matthew 1:18-25, 2:1-12; Luke 1:26-38, 2:1-20; and Mark 10:45. There are clues in the birth narratives that help us to understand why Jesus came into the world. We see in Matthew that the biggest clue is in the name Jesus. He was to be named Jesus (Yahweh saves) "because he will save his people from their sins." This teaches us that Jesus came into the world to save (rescue/forgive) people of their sins (dispositions against God/wrong actions).
He is Immanuel--God with us. Jesus reveals God to us. He also makes it possible for us to enter into the presence of the Lord.
He is the King of the Jews, who is the Christ. Jesus sits upon the throne of David who will reign over the house of Jacob forever.
The summation of his ministry is found in Mark 10:45, "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and give his life as a ransom for many."
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