Brothers and sisters, let's consider this particular narrative of the shepherds and how they witnessed the glory of the Lord and it gave glory. Verse 20 reads, the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen as it had been told them. Beloved congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ, the story of the shepherds. It's a well-known story. Even those unfamiliar with Christianity know that Christmas, well, is a nativity scene. There's a baby boy, he's surrounded by animals. Perhaps the picture includes that bright starry night with one star in particular shining overhead. The barn on the scene might include some snow, however implausible that would be in real life. There's little shepherds and the wise men there as well. Perhaps in this small nativity scene we're describing, there's even the passing and fading light from the heavens, the echo in the angelic choir that had sung to the shepherds. Yes, the quintessential Christmas scene can easily be painted for us. But as we paint this rather inaccurate picture that includes everything that happened over the course of months in a single frame. It would be easy to lose sight of the true beauty of Christmas that each and every one of those elements points to. For us to truly understand, to accept, to appreciate the beauty of Christmas, we are to focus in on what Christmas is all about. Emmanuel, God with us. At the Son of God, made man. At the one through whom and for whom all things were made. was born of the Virgin Mary and became a humble human being, a little child wrapped in swaddling cloths, the one through whom and for whom and to whom glory is brought, humbled as an ordinary newborn babe that Christmas-morn 2,000 years ago. But it's in ordinariness It's in the humble settings that our holy, infinite, majestic God chose to allow glory to enter into the world. Every element of Christmas highlights that dramatic interplay between the glory of God and the humbleness of man, his creature. And so, this morning, beloved of Christ, as we focus in on the shepherds as part of the Christmas story, or to consider them in light of the glory of God and the humbleness of man. This morning, I bring you the glorious news of the gospel under the following theme and points. The birth of Jesus marks glory for the humble. You'll see glory brought to the humble, glory shown to the humble, glory brought through the humble. And the birth of Jesus marks glory for the humble. We'll see first glory brought to the humble. Well, this story about the shepherds in the fields, it paints a lovely picture. But to truly grasp its significance, we need to understand what's going on. And to do that, Imagine if, on that particular night, Jesus was not born. Imagine if, on that particular night, the angels hadn't appeared to the shepherds. What would have been different for them? Was there anything particular about these shepherds, or their sheep, or that particular evening? Not at all. It was quite the normal day. The sheep were being cared for. The shepherds were keeping watch, doing their jobs. Just an ordinary night in an ordinary countryside, and some ordinary men were doing ordinary things. And though the kings of the earth were counting their taxes, and the vast nations under the dominion, as Caesar called for assents across the entire known world, and though peoples great and small were beholden to those imperial decrees set to accomplish mighty things, in a little corner of the vast Roman Empire, in a quiet, forgotten village, A few men of simple upbringing and simple character are carrying out their simple calling in life. Shepherds are simple folk. They weren't very high on the social ladder. These certainly weren't kings, nor were they scribes and teachers. They weren't learned men with influence. They were carrying out one of the most basic tasks you could in those days in that land, herd sheep. In those days, you didn't have a clear distinction between your house and your farm, and you certainly didn't have clean running water on demand by turning on the tap in the sink or the shower. The dirty work that these shepherds did, out-exposed to the elements, working closely with their animals there in the hinterlands, made them basic people, humble even in those days. Their work didn't mean much, or their word didn't mean much. They were not the well-respected leaders of the peoples. And yet, yet it was to these simple shepherds that the Lord chose to reveal His glory. It was to these low and humble workers that the true and eternal God proclaimed the glorious announcement, the birth of the King of Kings. While wise men from the East would travel first to the palace in Jerusalem, seeking an audience with the King, surrounded as he was with the chief priests and the scribes of the people, the first, the very first to know and to discover and to testify the new-born King, simple, humble people. The manner in which the Lord chose to do this is a glorious ordeal. While these men were conducting their business, keeping watch over their flocks at night, suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared to them. The glory shone around them. They were filled with great fear. Startled from their humble task, the glorious majesty of the herald of the King of Kings in full array displayed there to the shepherds. Make no mistake, brothers and sisters, this was an astonishing sight for them. This was not like the angel appearing to Gideon while he worked secretly in a winepress. This wasn't even like the pre-incarnate Christ walking with two of his angels to visit Abraham on his way to Sodom. In those cases, the glory of the Lord was veiled for the sake of the conversation to be had with his people. Not so in this case. Here, the purpose was the contrast between the glory of God entering into the world with the humble stature of man living in the world. And so, the glory of God shone. This splendor, this majesty, this glory that shone was quite unlike anything ever witnessed on earth. What can we compare with the words, the glory of the Lord shone around them? Isaiah trembled before the Lord, chapter 6, witnessing the train of the robe of the Lord filling the temple, surrounded by seraphim, shaking foundations and smoke, filling the house. Such a description has us understand Isaiah saw this in a vision. Likewise, Ezekiel struggled to find the words to describe the glory of the Lord displayed through the living creatures and the likeness of a throne which he witnessed while among the exiles by the Chibar River, a canal in exile. A vision. But here, Luke chapter 2, the glory of the Lord shone around them. A multitude of a heavenly host praising God was with them, only after song to return to heaven. These humble shepherds witnessed something not seen on earth since the days of the temple. For when the temple was completed and it was dedicated in prayer, the glory of the Lord filled the temple. The priests could not enter the house of the Lord because the glory of the Lord filled the Lord's house. is a marvelous spectacle that caused the people of Israel to worship and for King Solomon to marvel. Will God indeed dwell with man on earth? Behold, heaven and earth cannot contain you, how much less this house that I have built. It's in this that we begin to grasp the magnitude of the event and why we know that what the shepherds saw was true. Not that the word of the shepherds is sufficient. As herdmen, frequently active at night and wandering the landscapes, they were not the most reputable people. And we know that it was true because the wondrous occasion demanded such glory to shine. Would God dwell with His people? Would glorious God from eternity and for eternity enter into creation, not only to enter it as its royal king, but to redeem it from the very rebellion that's lifted against Him? Though Christ's birth was the first act of His humiliation for our sake, as He undertook the task set upon Him by the Father to go to the cross for our salvation, His entrance into this world would not, could not go unheralded. Though His glory would be veiled during much of His earthly life for the sake of His redemptive work, That momentous occasion of Emmanuel could not come about without a display of the majesty of the King of Kings. Glory was brought on that special evening because of the glory of the one it was representing. We cannot doubt that such an event as this happened, that glory was shown to such humble folk as the shepherds, because the glory of Jesus, Son of God, demanded it. And so, the birth of Jesus marks glory for the humble, also glory shown to the humble. For that reason, beloved, it is therefore not with the song of the angels that we find the glory shown to these humble men. Glorious was the appearance of the angel, but it was not the most glorious thing the shepherds saw. Glorious was the heavenly host, but it was not the most glorious. Glorious was the praise and worship, glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom He is pleased." And that did not immediately bring about the shepherds to glorify God. No. Something far greater had come to pass, something far more glorious, something far more worthy of praise than the wondrous display that they had witnessed there in the fields near Bethlehem. For the shepherds were privileged on that special night to receive a beautiful message that pointed them to the true glory of the occasion. Fear not, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. No, it was not ultimately the greatest glory they witnessed. The only response the shepherds could give on such an occasion as the appearance of an angel was the same response that any human in their humble estate can give to the display of the glory of God. Like Moses, like Joshua, like Gideon, like Isaiah, like Ezekiel, they were afraid. And though they had good reason to be afraid, as humbling as their experience was, it was not for them to stay afraid. As the angel spoke, there was something even greater yet for them to witness. For the shepherds. They witnessed something truly amazing there in the countryside. They witnessed the glory of the Lord shining around them. They witnessed an angel of the Lord speaking to them. They witnessed an angelic host singing praises to the Lord, a wondrous sight to behold, something far beyond what any one of us have experienced in our lives. And indeed, the praise and the worship that we bring Sunday by Sunday in weakness, in shortcoming, only echoes the glory displayed by the angels. Yet our praise is more pleasing to the Lord in that it is a display of His recreation work in us. And that work of recreation is not yet complete in us, will not be completed until we are recreated with resurrected bodies like Christ's glorious body. Until that day, our praise, though pleasing indeed before the Lord God, it does not elicit the same awe and wonder as that angelic host glorifying God. But what is the cost for all this glory shining, all this praise abounding, all these words heralding? Christ the Lord. The glory to be shown is because Christ the Lord. His angel, an angel of the Lord, that came. It was His glory, the glory of the Lord, that shone. It was His message, the good news of great joy, to be announced. Unto you is born a Savior, who is Christ, the Lord." And that's what the shepherds received, what the Lord has made known to us. So for all the glory that was shown to the shepherds there outside of town, not a moment's pause for them. There's something far greater to witness, something far more glorious to be shown to these humble shepherds. Not a moment passed between the deafening silence that marked the departure of the angels before the shepherds were on their way. Luke tells us they went with haste to see what they could find. And what did they find? What glories awaited their arrival to be revealed? What would possibly trump the awesome display of the angels of the Lord in holy array singing praises to God and peace on earth? What would light up their lives more than the glory of the Lord shining around as it burst asunder the quiet and dark night? A baby lying in a manger. The glory is this, brothers and sisters, Her Majesty displayed. A newborn child wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger, just as the angel had said. Now, swaddling cloths was a common way to care for a newborn child. You snuggle the child, the baby, by wrapping a blanket or cloth around them to soothe and protect them. It's not exactly a distinctive practice. It's not as though the shepherds could have walked into a nursery and found the only child, the only baby there in swaddling cloths. Likely every baby boy in Bethlehem would have been wrapped in swaddling cloths. These swaddling cloths showed that the newborn babe was not some mystical half-breed. The power of His divine nature did not remove the needs of His human nature. Christ the Lord that the angels were heralding was truly a newborn baby boy like us. Every respect. While our song today is only somewhat comparable to the songs of the angels in terms of glory, The appearance of this newborn child is very comparable to the appearance of any newborn child. What glory is this? Now what does distinguish the child, however, is his humble place of rest, lying in a manger, a feeding trough. Indistinguishable from other children in appearance or care, this child was born not in a hospital or in a palace or even a house, but a humble abode. A newborn child, otherwise indistinguishable from other newborn children apart from his humble location. And how do the shepherds react? What caused greater marvel for these simple people? What stirred these shepherds into action? As you read together, verse 20. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had seen and heard, as it had been told them. Told them by the angels. It's not what they had seen and heard in the fields near Bethlehem that caused them to marvel and glorify and praise God. No, it was this newborn child wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger. We read, as it had been told them. Who had told them? The angel of the Lord. And what had he told them? They would hear and see. What was it that the Lord had made known to them? A newborn child in Bethlehem, who is Christ the Lord." That is the glory revealed, brothers and sisters. A newborn child wrapped in simple, common swaddling cloths, lying in the simplest, roughest, humblest of beds. The glory shown in the fields nearby would have been wonder enough for any ordinary knight, or any unordinary knight, for that matter. But the glory of Emmanuel, God with us, the birth of a Savior who is Christ the Lord, that's something else entirely. He said, this glory showed to the humble that results in glory brought through the humble. When looking at a passage like this, as we've noticed at the very beginning, it's easy to get caught up in all the interesting details that make up the scenes. It's something that we can all latch onto and find interest in. We enjoy thinking about the lights, the splendor, the majesty, the sounds, everything that happened to the shepherds out there on that wondrous night. and our eyes and minds immediately drawn to the beautiful lyrics of that wondrous song, glory to God in the highest and on earth peace among those with whom He's pleased. But it's not for man to be passive in the redemptive history God has planned, or not to be couch potatoes watching and consuming wondrous displays The shepherds weren't either, even though the display they saw was significantly larger than any widescreen TV we might otherwise get on Boxing Day. No. The shepherds, humble and lowly though they were, they had a role to play in God's glory being revealed on that Emmanuel night. It was not mere entertainment and wonder for the shepherds to witness glory, either in the angelic choir or in the newborn baby. They received a message from the Lord, a message of good news for of great joy for all people. And they received instruction related to this message. They interacted with this message by going and witnessing it, and they interacted with what they had seen and heard. They made known to Joseph and Mary what they knew about their newborn child. And even in departing, they continued to glorify God and to praise Him for what they had seen and heard as they had been told. You see, beloved of Christ, it pleases God to bring about His glory in a most unusual way. He brings glory to Himself through those who are humble, and He foregoes glorifying Himself through those who are exalted. Not an angelic host could have proclaimed and sung and displayed this glory by the Lord's decree before Caesar Augustus in Rome. or before the Han Emperor in China, or before King Herod in Jerusalem, or any other authority of man. But they didn't. They proclaimed it to humble shepherds. It was those humble shepherds that in turn went and carried that message forward. Look at how much revelation is taking place here in this short narrative. The angel spoke, he said to them. The shepherds spoke to each other. They acknowledged that the Lord had made something known to them. They saw what they heard, and they made known what was said. Those who heard it wondered at what had been told them. And when they returned, they glorified, they praised God, for all they had heard, it seemed, as it had been told them. The birth of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world, heralded to the people He had come to save, not by an angelic host, but by simple shepherds, sharing in the revelation of God. The good news that the angel spoke to them became the good news they would go on to tell others. What they heard, so they taught. What was revealed to them, so they shared with others. What marvelous things they witnessed, they marveled in themselves, more witnessed through the glory of God. These humble men became the first to witness through the birth of the Savior of the world. John the Baptist would come to herald the Christ as he took on his office, but these humble shepherds would herald first that the Christ was born. What wonder is this? What miracle of God! What a thing for us to marvel at, brothers and sisters. These shepherds praised, they glorified God because of His grace. They realized the magnitude of the good news of the birth of what otherwise appeared to be an insignificant baby to a humble little family. They recognized the glory that was in the source of good news, namely that God come to earth to save his people from their sins. God had pleased himself to glorify himself through this pathway of salvation. And it is for man, it is for us to witness this, to receive this and to glorify Him in this. Will you marvel at the glory of God? Will you read such a passage and give God glory for such a miracle as this? A newborn babe, wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger. Or do you long for a bright display of majestic music? Will you wait for a personal herald of great splendor to proclaim the glory of God? No. Hear the good news. Jesus Christ is born. The Son of God has come into the world He's created, the one to whom and for whom all glory is given, has humbled Himself. Oh, let us return and glorify and praise God for all that we have heard, as it has been told us. Amen. As this afternoon we'll be singing, O Come, O Come, Emmanuel, it is fitting for us