If you think about Christmas time, you think of getting together with your friends and enjoying laughter, conversation, and affection. But it would seem that you can’t do that with God, so how do you have joyful fellowship with God? It’s nice to know that Jesus came down to earth to fellowship with some people, but isn’t the whole point of Christmas to connect God and humans together in fellowship? What does that look like when Jesus isn’t physically present with us?
The shepherds of Christmas experienced an interaction with God that we might like to have. If we could experience His glory and light and an audible voice, we might feel like we were having joyful fellowship with Him. But there is a problem. It didn’t last. It didn’t happen every night. How, then, would the shepherds continue to have joyful fellowship with God once the heavenly light had faded? If we can answer that question, then we also can know how we can experience joyful fellowship with God through the Christmas message.
So, let’s consider this question by considering from Luke 2:8–20 the revelation from God, the recipients of the revelation, and the response to the revelation. My hope is that this will lead you to joyful fellowship with God through the Christmas message.
The Revelation
There are four aspects of the revelation or message that the shepherds received. The first was the amazing light that came with the heavenly revelation. In a world without electric lights, the angels lighting up the night sky must have been truly astonishing.
The second aspect was the appearance of the angels. At first, a single angel appeared that gave them a message. Then, a choir of angels appeared singing the songs of heaven in praise of God.
The third aspect was the message itself. The word “angel” actually means “messenger,” and these angels brought a message. “And the angel said to them, ‘Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord’” (Luke 2:10–11). It was a message of joy about the birth of Jesus.
The fourth aspect was the baby Jesus. The angel told them how they would find him. “And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger” (Luke 2:16). Jesus Himself is a revelation from God about Himself.
The Recipients of the Revelation
This is what God revealed. But to whom did He reveal it to?
First, God revealed it to the shepherds. This is obvious from the text in Luke 2:8–20.
However, God also revealed this message to the people whom the shepherds told about it. “And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them” (Luke 2:17–18). What is interesting is that the hearers, while closer in time to the event, are in fundamentally the same position as we are. We have been told. The ambiguity of the world “shepherds” also highlights this. If we put it this way, “And all who heard it wondered at what the pastors told them” (Luke 2:18). “Pastors” or “shepherds” are still giving the message, and people can still marvel at it.
Finally, the third set of recipients of the revelation are Mary and Joseph. They knew the baby had been conceived by the Spirit, but they had also received wonderful confirmations of the truth about this boy. This was one more. That’s what moved Mary so much, as we shall below.
The Response to the Revelation
How did people respond to this revelation? When we understand what they did with the revelation, we will see clearly what we can do with it and how we can have joyful communion with God through the Christmas message.
First, they acted on it. The shepherds heard the good news, and they followed up on it. They performed the obvious action in response to this. They went to see the baby.
Second, they talked about it. They shared the message. They let it be on their lips as well as their hearts and minds.
Third, they marveled at it. They appreciated the wonder of what was told to them and they let it fill their minds and hearts. That’s what those who heard from the shepherds did. They gave it the weight that it deserved. They took it in deeply and wondered at it.
Fourth, they pondered it. This was especially true of Mary. “But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart” (2:19). Mary did not instantly appreciate all that God had told her. There was more to learn. She kept turning it over in her mind as she contemplated the wonder of which she had been such an intimate part.
Fifth, they praised God for it. “And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them” (2:20).
How Does This Help Us?
How does this help us to experience joyful fellowship with God through the Christmas message? We can still do the same things with the message that the shepherds, their hearers, and Mary and Joseph did. We can act on the message, talk about it, marvel at it, ponder it, and praise God for it.
However, this is the response. The bigger aspect of joyful fellowship with God is that God Himself still speaks to us. God was not just present in the message of the angels. God was there when the shepherds told and re-told the message.
He still does the same today. The revelation that happened long ago has not changed. But God speaks to us by the Holy Spirit of the glory of Christ. At different times, He lets us hear and learn about Himself. At one time, He reminds the despondent of great joy. At other times, He talks to us of the Christ, that Jesus is the king or priest or teacher we need. At other times, He reminds us that He is the Lord who is ruling us and the world for our good. At other times, He shows us His glory that causes us to join the heavenly chorus. The same God who was there then and impressed these messages on their hearts during and after the revelation still speaks to us through the same Christmas message.
If we will ponder these messages and give them the weight they are due, the Holy Spirit will fellowship with us and give us power to act, courage to talk, faith to wonder, patience to ponder, and joy to praise Him for what He has done in sending Jesus into this world.
In this way, we will experience joyful fellowship with God through the Christmas message.