Thoughts Of Some Guy In Ohio
Thoughts Of Some Guy In Ohio
Tolkien's "Noel" and the Birth of Hope
What if a single night could shift the course of history? Discover the awe and wonder surrounding the Nativity story, as we explore the significant roles played by Mary and Joseph and the profound impact of Jesus' birth. In our latest episode, we promise you'll gain new insights into the fulfillment of prophecy through Jesus' lineage and appreciate the immense challenges faced by his earthly parents. Revel in the magic of J.R.R. Tolkien's poem "Noel" as it paints a vivid transformation from darkness to light, and join us in recounting the heavenly announcement to shepherds in fields, igniting their journey from fear to joy with the birth of the Savior in Bethlehem.
Immerse yourself in the chaotic yet jubilant scene of those shepherds visiting the newborn Jesus, and discover how this sacred encounter sparked a legacy of worship and celebration. We draw poignant parallels between the angels as heavenly messengers and Jesus as the divine herald of good news, emphasizing the timeless significance of his mission. Reflect on Jesus as the Good Shepherd, whose life modeled humility and sacrifice, and how his profound love continues to resonate over two millennia later. This episode is an invitation to reflect on the enduring power of Jesus' birth—a pivotal moment that ushered light into a world cloaked in darkness.
You know, one of the hardest things about the story of the Nativity is trying to wrap your mind around the events of that night. You know, up until this point we've kind of jumped around a little bit, but we talked about Mary and Joseph and the significance of not only them being the ones who brought the Son of God into this world, but just looking at their lineage and they came from the line of David, and this was a promise that was fulfilled, a prophet. That was a prophecy that was fulfilled, that Jesus had no control over himself. And so Mary and Joseph, they're the ones that really kind of start this journey. Nine months prior, when she finds out that she's going to be pregnant with the Son of God Teenage girl probably thought nothing more of her life, probably wasn't concerned with anything more than just living day to day all of a sudden has this incredible task of birthing the son of God. And Joseph, her husband, her soon-to-be husband, eventually marries her. But the moment he finds out he's pregnant, she's pregnant he kind of freaks out a little bit. He almost divorces her. But an angel shows up and says listen, don't do that. Can you imagine being the father of Jesus, knowing that God's also his father. What an incredible weight. And then you have the journey they take to get to where they are, this 90-mile trek. Mary is fully pregnant. We hope they have a donkey, but this journey to a stable, to the night, that would change everything.
Speaker 1:A couple years later, you have a couple of wise men that show up from the east and they're on a journey to find this baby. They bring him gifts. You have Herod in the mix, who was plotting to kill him, trying to make sure that his own kingdom isn't destroyed, trying to make sure that his own kingdom isn't destroyed. This incredible journey that began thousands of years before that night. That God was always going to bring Jesus into the world. That was always the plan. There always had to be a Savior, there always had to be a perfect one, and God realized that you and I couldn't do this ourselves. And then that night you have these lowly shepherds. Can you imagine? You're tending the flock, you're putting them down for the night, everything's quiet, you finally get some sleep from a long, hard day's work and these angels just show up. These angels come and they tell you, and they want to tell you, this incredible story about the Savior of the world. Can you imagine what's running through their mind? Why are angels coming to us? How are we going to fight off these angels with our shepherd hooks? What is happening? But they're part of the story.
Speaker 1:You know, I was reading and I actually came across this this morning and I thought it was really well written and it actually talks about that night. It's a poem called Noel, by JRR Tolkien I don't know if you know who Tolkien is. If you don't, you live under a rock somewhere wrote the Hobbit. Wrote Lord of the Rings. I'm pretty confident that he's the one that brought CS Lewis to Jesus. I know one way or another they were connected, but I'm pretty confident he's the one that brought CS Lewis to his own faith.
Speaker 1:So Tolkien writes this about that night. It says grim was the world and gray. Last night, it says, as a sword leapt from its sheath, the lord of snows upreared its head, his mantle, long and pale, upon the bitter blast was spread and hung over hill and dale. The world was blind, the bows were bent, all waves and paths were wild. Then the veil of cloud apart was rent and here was born a child. The ancient dome of heaven's sheer was pricked by distant light. A star came, shining, white and clear, alone above the night, in the dale of dark. In that hour of birth, one voice on a sudden sang that all the bells in heaven and earth together at midnight rang. Mary sang in this world below. They heard her song arise over mist and over mountain snow to the walls of paradise and the tongue of many bells was stirred and heaven's towers to ring. When the voice of mortal maid was heard, that was mother of heaven's king, glad is the world and fair this night, with stars about its head, and the hall was filled with laughter and light. You know, I read that this morning and it just struck me as how incredible is that moment, the way that he starts out. This poem is so gloomy and dark, but it ends with a bit of hope that the world has suddenly shifted from its normal, broken self to worship the King. The God on earth has come. I can imagine that night.
Speaker 1:For the shepherds it was fairly calm. They were going about their day, they were living the life like they were supposed to, they were doing their job and all of a sudden everything changed. Luke 2, verses 8. We're going to read verses 8 through 20, but we're going to start with verse 8. It says and there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby keeping watch over their flocks. At night, an angel of the Lord appeared to them and the glory of the Lord shone around them and they were terrified, which I think is a reasonable response to what's happening. But the angel said to them Do not be afraid, I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today, in the town of David, a savior has been born to you. He is the Messiah the Lord. This will be a sign to you. You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger. Suddenly, a great company of the heavenly host appeared, with the angel praising God and saying glory to God in the highest heaven and on earth, peace to those on whom his favor rests.
Speaker 1:Starting in verse 15, it says when the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about. So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph and the baby who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told about this child and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just had they been told.
Speaker 1:Can you imagine that night going into work, laying everything down, getting your sheep to rest, doing exactly what you're supposed to, and all of a sudden, these angels show up out of nowhere and it terrifies you? Like I said, I think that's a normal response. I would be terrified if a bunch of angels showed up. My initial reaction would be is this how I die? Have they come for me? But these shepherds, they see these angels and the angels say hey, listen, don't be afraid. The most common thing in the world when someone's afraid is tell them not to be afraid. It works 100% of the time. But the angels say don't be afraid because we have come to tell you of an incredible Savior and this is how you're going to know. You're going to go to a town of David and you're going to find this baby laying in a manger, dressed in cloth, and you're going to know this is the Son of God, the Savior of the world, these heavenly hosts, come and meet these humble shepherds.
Speaker 1:Being a shepherd wasn't glorious, wasn't a fantastic job. A lot of them were born into it because they had to maintain it for their families. They probably weren't the cleanest of people at times. I'm sure they didn't smell very well. I don't know if you've ever been around sheep. They kind of stink a lot. But these shepherds were out in the field and all of a sudden these messengers from God show up and say listen, I have something to tell you that's going to change your life. And so in that moment, they have a choice to make.
Speaker 1:The angels get done and they say what they do, and these angels show up, they tell them this, and then more angels show up which I'm sure is even more terrifying and all of a sudden the angels leave and the shepherds have a decision to make In this moment. They can either collectively decide that they're all very, very tired and they're hallucinating, or that what just happened really happened and it's time for them to get up and go, do something about it, to go and see if they can find this savior the angels are talking about. And so they do, they get up and they go and they find this baby. I can imagine they've drug all their sheep along with them. You know we always talk about how much of that is like a silent night. I don't think it was a silent night at all. I think it was a very loud night.
Speaker 1:I think there was a lot of stuff going on between the animals and that weird little drummer boy that shows up. Sorry, I'm just kidding, that's not biblical. But I can tell you, as having kids, that when you have a little infant trying to sleep, the last thing you want is a house full of people Unless you're cleaning my house but babies sleep well when it's quiet. And so all of a sudden, these people arrive and these shepherds arrive and they're probably stinky and they're probably a little smelly and they probably have all these sheep who are not quiet animals, by the way and they show up and they see this baby in a manger and they immediately start praising and worshiping because they realize they have seen the Son of God. Because here's what I believe with everything in me when you actually encounter Jesus, when you actually come into the presence of the Most High, you and I cannot be silent. How could you, how could you see the Savior of the world lying in a manger and just go oh, that's nice, what a pleasant baby he is. That's not what happened. They celebrate, they're joyous, they're overwhelmed, and then they go on their way and they continue to tell this story over and over again. That night changed their life. They witnessed something they never thought they would be a part of. The holy had met the humble in the most perfect of ways. The angels had told the lowly shepherds that their Savior was born that day. It's fitting that angels and shepherds were there that night.
Speaker 1:Jesus falls into the category of being a messenger. That's what he would eventually become. He wasn't just this baby born in a manger. He would eventually go into the world and teach others about who he is and teach others about who God was. He was the greatest example of God the world had ever seen. That night would start this incredible journey. That night would start this incredible journey 33 years of life spreading the good news, sharing the gospel, feeding the hungry, healing the sick, ultimately leading to his death, which would bring salvation to all of humanity, all who have chosen to accept what he's offered them.
Speaker 1:Just like the angels that night had a message to share, so did Jesus. So Angelos is the Greek word normally translated into English as angel. Basically, angelos means one who brings a message, and it often refers to a human messenger as well as the heavenly host. The biblical author's use of Angelos when recounting angelic appearances indicates that a chief task of these supernatural creatures is to bring a message from on high. While Jesus is not an angel, he was a messenger from heaven. He said of himself that a part of his purpose was to be a messenger of the good news.
Speaker 1:He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue as was his custom. He stood up to read and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found his place where it is written the Spirit of the Lord is on me because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor. Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and he sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him and he began by saying to them today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing. All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips. And then they asked isn't this Joseph's son? That takes place in Luke, chapter four, verses 16 through 22. Jesus made sure that they understood that he had finally come to fulfill the prophecy that one among you would tell about and proclaim the good news of heaven, of the God of creation. Jesus would fulfill that role in the way that he lived. He was a messenger that you and I needed In a very dark time, in a very broken world. Even in today's world, he is a messenger of hope. He is a messenger that there's something better. I've said this this entire series.
Speaker 1:Christmas is so much more than just about gathering around a Christmas tree with families. It's so much more than buying presents. Those things aren't bad, but that's not the point. We were watching the Grinch last night with our boys, the one with Jim Carrey, which is by far my favorite, because I like Jim Carrey a lot, and as the whole it was. Whoville starts to celebrate Christmas. It's all about the lights and the presents and having the biggest tree and making sure your house looks the best, so much so that Cindy Lou, who starts to question things why are they so focused on this? And then we find out and we get introduced to the Grinch. Who is this bah humbug Scrooge that lives up on a mountain who eats onions On purpose? There's a dog named Max, who's not very nice too, and the Grinch just absolutely hates Christmas, cannot stand it.
Speaker 1:And then, as we continue to watch the movie, you find out a little more why that he wasn't treated very well by these people, that they forgot to show him love and grace and mercy and they treated him different because he was an outcast. They never let him be part of their celebrations. They never really brought him in because he didn't feel like he belonged. He didn't really look like he belonged. He was a hairy, fuzzy green child with a beard. It's funny because, if I remember correctly in the movie he's about eight years old as a child and he's got like this full beard. And Everett looks at me. He's like should I have a beard right now? I'm like no, buddy, I'm like you're nine, you're fine, you'll get there. I was like this is an anomaly, don't worry about it. But the whole thing comes back to Sidney Lou, who has this question of why are we so focused on all of these things? That really don't mean much.
Speaker 1:And, of course, if you've ever read the story or seen it in the movies, you know how it ends. The Grinch steals everything and somehow the town of Whoville comes to realize that there's something better, that it was never about the gifts, it was never about the lights. The story of the nativity is a constant reminder that it's not about the gifts, it was never about the lights. The story of the nativity is a constant reminder that it's not about the gifts and it's not about the lights, it's not about the Christmas tree. You could have none of that and you could still celebrate the birth of the Savior. The story, the real story of Christmas goes back to that night when God stepped into the world to save us. It's the greatest gift anyone could ever ask for.
Speaker 1:And what I love about the story and I love this so much, you know, like I said, when we talk about the Grinch, part of the problem with the Grinch is he was excluded. He was made to feel like he didn't belong the night of the nativity, the night that Jesus was born. There's shepherds, there's angels, there's kings, there's wise men. There's a virgin Mary, there's her husband who, we'll find out, is a carpenter. There's probably all these animals.
Speaker 1:At the birth of Jesus. Everyone is welcome. There's no exclusion. God didn't just come to die. For some people, jesus wasn't born just so that some of us could celebrate Christmas. The Savior of the world became flesh so that all may know Him, that in all of our brokenness, in all of the darkness, there's hope. No one's excluded. There's hope. No one's excluded. The story of the Nativity is not just their story. It's our story, it's the entire world's story. Jesus came as a messenger. That night would give us 33 years of the Son of God reminding us who he was, telling his stories, sharing about himself, sharing about how much God had loved them.
Speaker 1:On the other hand and it's fitting that there were shepherds there Jesus was a shepherd. You know what makes shepherds so good at their job? I watched a documentary once and they were over in Ireland and they were hanging out with a guy who was a professional shepherd and he had like I don't know how much land he had, but he had like rolling hills and it was crazy Like he had to get around, like where he lived he had like an ATV that he rode around on everywhere because there was so much of it. But he was a shepherd and his flock was close to a thousand sheep, which I think is crazy. Once again I've been around sheep. I couldn't imagine having one, let alone a thousand, but this guy was in charge of a thousand sheep and he had some help, obviously.
Speaker 1:But one of the things that I thought was interesting. And so he's talking to this reporter and she says, okay, so what are their names? And he's like what do you mean? He's like, well, everyone has animals have names. It's like do you sheep have names? He's like, yeah, I do so. Do you think that you could sell me all of them? And he's like, yeah, I could. She's like, all right.
Speaker 1:And so the reporter, she starts calling over one sheep. He's like what's this one name? She's like, well, that's Tom. And then he would talk about Tom and what Tom did. And oh, yeah, tom recently had shots. And then she would pick out another random one. And he's like like, oh, yeah, that that's james. This is when I got him, by the way. Oh, his mother and father are over here, this is so. And so, uh, by the way, james is uh, he's doing well, but he's, he was also sick. He had the same thing tom had, so they both had the same thing. Just call another one over. So yeah, that's, that's sally. Oh yeah, sally, like this is her mom and dad. And and he just continued to rattle off name after name after name after name. Not only name, but their condition, where they came from, who their mother and father were. This gentleman knew them all by name.
Speaker 1:That's the beautiful thing about Jesus being a shepherd he knows us by name. So many people, especially, I think, in today's world, so many people, feel like no one loves them, that no one cares about them. One loves them, that no one cares about them. But the God who created them knows them by name. He knows the number of hairs you have on your head. He knows how many times you've been sick when you were a child. He knows how many times you fake being sick when you were a child. You fake being sick when you were a child. He knows the color of your eyes. He knows how many toes you have. He knows your story. He knows who your parents are. He knows who your spouse is going to be. He knows what your life has in order. He knows you, he created you, he leads you.
Speaker 1:Jesus was not only a shepherd, but he was a good shepherd, as he taught, as he spent time with his people, as he walked through on earth. He shepherded people, he taught them, he loved them, he fed them, he modeled for them the God that they served. In almost any circle that I've ever been in, religious or not almost anyone I've ever come across will acknowledge that Jesus was a really, really, really good person, that he made an impact on the world. They might not see him as the Son of God, they might not see him as the Savior, but very few people ever speak ill of Jesus because he showed the world exactly what they needed. He taught them about who God was.
Speaker 1:Whenever you're dealing with someone and I've heard this before, especially if they're non-Christian and, as a Christian, if you do something wrong, a lot of times they'll say well, you're nothing like Jesus. Not entirely wrong statement, but because, in their mind, jesus is the ideal. That's what we're supposed to be seeking. The way he loved people, the way that he lived, the things that he did, the things that he said. That is what you and I strive for, but the reality is is we all fall short of that goal. If you and I could be perfect there, no, there'd be no reason for a savior. It doesn't mean we don't try. It doesn't mean that we don't try to follow what he teaches us and we try to live according to his word.
Speaker 1:But at the end of the day, jesus was a great shepherd, but he was a good shepherd because he laid down his life for his sheep. A good shepherd sacrifices himself to save the flock. Always, the story of his birth would start a journey to his death. The Savior of the world, the one who sat at the right hand of God, would ultimately humble himself to the place of a child. He would constrain himself to a body like ours, to live among us, to try to understand, but ultimately to help us realize that we needed Him. The story of the birth of Jesus is the greatest story that has ever been told, because at just the right time in history, the holy became lowly. Jesus gave up parts of himself so that he could walk among us. He sacrificed everything so that he could shepherd us and eventually, because he loved us so much and because he was a good shepherd, he would lay down his life, he would save us from ourselves.
Speaker 1:So yeah, that night shouldn't have been silent. That night, the shepherds were part of a grand story that would unfold over the next 33 years. That night, the lowly shepherds and the host of angels would declare and establish that the Son of God, the Savior of the world, had come. Emmanuel, god with us. That night changed everything 2,000. Some years later, we're still talking about it. That's how significant it is. At just the right moment, at just the right time, when the world was in darkness, god stepped in and he brought the light with him. Let's pray.