Introduction
How will you respond to Jesus, not just in a Christmas service, but with your whole life? The central truth of Christmas is that God’s holy revelation has come down to us in Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, bringing good news of great joy for all people, and it demands a real response. Luke 2:8–20 shows that every person who encounters the newborn Christ is faced with a moment of decision: What do you think? What will you do with Him? In the same way, every time you hear this message (whether for the first time or the hundredth), you are being invited to respond, not merely to a sermon, but to the Savior Himself.
Main Points
How will you respond to Jesus, not just in a Christmas service, but with your whole life? The central truth of Christmas is that God’s holy revelation has come down to us in Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, bringing good news of great joy for all people, and it demands a real response.
Luke 2:8–20 shows that every person who encounters the newborn Christ is faced with a moment of decision: What do you think? What will you do with Him? In the same way, every time you hear this message (whether for the first time or the hundredth), you are being invited to respond, not merely to a sermon, but to the Savior Himself.
Heaven’s Revelation Confronts Our Fear
Luke tells us the shepherds were “greatly afraid” when the angel appeared and “the glory of the Lord shone around them” (Luke 2:9). That fear makes sense. God’s holiness exposes our smallness and our unworthiness.
This is a pattern throughout the birth accounts: Mary receives angelic revelation; Joseph receives revelation in a dream; the wise men follow a star. God intervenes to make His plan known. And when God makes Himself known, we feel the weight of His glory.
But notice the first word of the gospel announcement: “Do not be afraid” (Luke 2:10). The revelation of God in Christ is not meant to crush you in terror, it’s meant to draw you near in faith.
Good News: The Savior Pays Our Debt
The angel declares “good tidings of great joy… for all people” (Luke 2:10). Why is it joy? Because “there is born to you… a Savior, who is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:11).
I want you to hear this plainly: Jesus did not come into the world like a landlord knocking to collect what you owe. He came as a Savior to pay what you owe. Many people avoid God because they assume He only brings demands, disappointment, and heavier burdens. But the Christmas announcement is that God brings rescue.
This is the heart of the gospel: we are sinners and fall short of God’s glory (Romans 3:23 clearly captures what is implied here), and yet Christ comes in humility, wrapped in swaddling cloths, laid in a manger, to save, not to condemn (John 3:17 expresses this directly). Christmas is the declaration that you can open the door without dread because the One who comes is the One who saves.
Good News For All People
The angel insists this joy is “to all people” (Luke 2:10). And God underscores that truth by choosing shepherds as the first witnesses. In that culture, shepherd testimony was not considered reliable in court. Yet God entrusts them with the announcement.
Why? So no one can say, “This isn’t for me.” Not the poor. Not the homeless. Not the overlooked. Not the ashamed. Not the religious outsider. Not the “cleaned-up” person in nice clothes with presents under the tree. The manger draws shepherds, and it also draws wise men bearing gold. The gospel is for the lowly and the lofty, because all need saving and all are invited.
So when I invite you to trust Christ, I don’t need to check your background first. Salvation is God’s gift, received, not achieved (Ephesians 2:8–9 is the clear implied foundation). The announcement is broad: for all who will receive Him.
The Shepherds Model Our Urgent Obedience
After the angels depart, the shepherds say, “Let us now go… and see this thing” (Luke 2:15). They go “with haste” (Luke 2:16). They don’t treat revelation as entertainment; they treat it as direction.
That’s discipleship for you and me: when God speaks, we move. We investigate. We obey. We don’t postpone Jesus to “someday.” We go to Him.
And they find exactly what God said they’d find: “a babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger” (Luke 2:12, 16). God’s word proves true in the details, so you can trust Him with your life.
The Church Gives a Report With Courage
After seeing Jesus, “they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning the child” (Luke 2:17). This is what the people of God do: we receive revelation, and then we become messengers.
Please don’t disqualify yourself. You don’t need a stage, a degree, or elite speaking ability to tell the truth about Jesus. God uses the weak to confound the strong; He loves to spread His light through unlikely vessels. Shepherds become heralds.
And here is the practical picture: light spreads person to person. Like a candle passing flame across a dark room, the message of Christ advances as believers share what they have “heard and seen” (Luke 2:20). Some people will listen to you who won’t listen to someone else, because God has placed you in specific relationships and spaces. Your calling is not to be famous; it’s to be faithful.
Three Responses That Still Face Us Today
At the end of the passage, Luke highlights three responses, each one is a mirror held up to your heart.
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Marveling: “All those who heard it marveled” (Luke 2:18). Wonder is a good beginning. Awe is appropriate. If you’re new, returning, or still exploring, marveling is an honest place to start. But don’t stop there.
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Pondering (Treasuring): “Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart” (Luke 2:19). This is where the message moves from ears to heart. Mary gathers the pieces, angelic words, confirmations, prophetic moments, and she treasures them. Some of you have heard Christmas truths for years, yet you’ve never truly taken Christ into your heart as Savior and Lord. Don’t merely “keep Christ in Christmas.” Keep following Christ beyond Christmas, by receiving Him personally and holding His word close.
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Glorifying and Praising: The shepherds return “glorifying and praising God” (Luke 2:20). This is the mature fruit. The gospel is not aiming merely at holiday sentiment; it’s aiming at worshipful obedience. When fear is replaced by grace, and when the Savior becomes your Lord, the outcome is a life that glorifies God.
Conclusion
Luke 2 is not a cute scene; it is God’s invasion of earth with saving joy. The holy God reveals His plan, announces a Savior, and invites every kind of person into peace and good will through Christ.
So I’ll ask you again as your discipler: Where are you in these responses, marveling, pondering, or glorifying? If you believe, let this renew your calling to carry the light and give a report. If you don’t yet believe, don’t push this away as tradition, ponder it until it reaches your heart, and receive Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.
Father in heaven, thank You for sending Your Son into the world. Thank You that Your message is good tidings of great joy, not a burden of condemnation. Forgive us for the ways we have feared You as though You came to collect a debt, when You sent Jesus to pay our debt and save us from our sins.
Lord, help me not only to marvel at Christ, but to treasure Him in my heart and obey Him with my life. Make me faithful to carry Your light, humbly, courageously, and with love, to the people You have placed around me. And for anyone who has not yet trusted You, give them a clear revelation of Jesus as Savior and Lord, and grant them faith to receive Him today.
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace through Jesus Christ. Amen.
Conclusion
Luke 2 is not a cute scene; it is God’s invasion of earth with saving joy. The holy God reveals His plan, announces a Savior, and invites every kind of person into peace and good will through Christ.
So I’ll ask you again as your discipler: Where are you in these responses, marveling, pondering, or glorifying? If you believe, let this renew your calling to carry the light and give a report. If you don’t yet believe, don’t push this away as tradition, ponder it until it reaches your heart, and receive Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.
Closing Prayer
Father in heaven, thank You for sending Your Son into the world. Thank You that Your message is good tidings of great joy, not a burden of condemnation. Forgive us for the ways we have feared You as though You came to collect a debt, when You sent Jesus to pay our debt and save us from our sins.
Lord, help me not only to marvel at Christ, but to treasure Him in my heart and obey Him with my life. Make me faithful to carry Your light, humbly, courageously, and with love, to the people You have placed around me. And for anyone who has not yet trusted You, give them a clear revelation of Jesus as Savior and Lord, and grant them faith to receive Him today.
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace through Jesus Christ. Amen.