Luke 2:8-21: The Good News of Christ’s Birth

One of the great public events, at least for those who still have a monarchy, is the first appearance of the crown prince, or royal baby. The picture of the couple and the baby makes the front cover of every news outlet, social commentators wax lyrical about whether the duchess wore a dress in the same style as Diana, and on and on it goes. The arrival of a new royal is a big deal and the world sits up and pays attention. Some even have a little shrine to the royal family in their homes, a central place with anniversary china, pictures and coffee table books full of photos and facts. The birth of the King of the universe and the King of kings was not noticed by the world, but God did ensure that it did not go unnoticed. The portion that we have before us with the angels appearing to the shepherds in the fields is the equivalent of the modern media event on the steps of St Mary’s hospital.

Heaven has come down to earth when God the Son became a little baby; and here we have heaven interpreting the event to us. God announces the birth of His Son and Saviour of mankind. There is great significance in every aspect of this text. God is proclaiming the good news of Jesus birth to the world. As we look at this event we will look at four things, firstly, the fact that God preaches the gospel first to the shepherds; secondly, we want to listen to how the angels view the gospel and how they respond to it; thirdly, we want to see the manger scene itself and how those present react to it; and finally, we want to hear the gospel preached on the eighth day in v21.