Teaching Text

Luke 2:8-14

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. 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.”

Sermon Recap

This Sunday, Pastor Suzy Silk continued our Advent series with a teaching on the significance of Jesus as the Messiah.

During the seasons of Advent and Hanukkah, the traditions we have built into the calendar remind us of the story of God and his people, how God is always faithful and always keeps his promises.

This time of year can feel particularly stressful, and it is important for us to remember that Jesus was also born into a world full of fear and anxiety, in many ways much like our own. And yet the consistent message the angels brought to earth surrounding His birth was “do not be afraid.” Advent invites us to lift our eyes above the fray of our world's fear and worries, and instead to root ourselves in God’s bigger story, where fear gives way to resolved faith and joy.

Jesus is called Messiah or Christ over and over again, 258 times throughout Scripture, and this title carries the weight of God’s long-awaited promises. Messiah means “the anointed one,” chosen by God with divine purpose to lead His people, a role no earthly king fully accomplished. Jesus fulfills dozens of Old Testament prophecies, both the clear, straightforward ones, and the ones that are a bit more obscure (i.e. being born in Bethlehem from the line of David, riding a donkey, being betrayed with 30 pieces of silver, etc.). There is no way his life could have looked the way it did out of chance or coincidence, but Jesus' fulfillment of prophecy reminds us that God is the Lord of history, the One who tells the end from the beginning. Because God has proven faithful in sending the Messiah, we can trust Him with our future, including the promised return of Jesus to usher in God’s eternal Kingdom.

Pastor Suzy invited us to embrace a sense of perspective by remembering God’s faithfulness. While our circumstances may not change, when we enter God’s presence, everything looks different. Like Mary in Luke 10, we are called to step out of chaos and sit at Jesus’ feet. The antidote to anxiety is not answers but the person of Jesus, who invites us to bring everything to Him. Pastor Suzy’s prayer for the church was that our weary hearts would remember what God has done, trust what He has promised, and take a long view of history—resting in the certainty that the Messiah has come and will come again.