Great joy over the newborn Jesus! (Luke 2:1-21)

[Stephan Choe]

December 23, 2025

Key Verse 7:   "and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them."

10-11: "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 year we want to celebrate the 2029th birthday of Jesus. Therefore, let us remember the story of his birth and thus reflect on the meaning of his birth.

This Bible text first describes the situation in which Christ was born. Then the visit of the newborn Christ by some shepherds is reported.

Through the report we learn something about the earthly situation of the newborn baby Jesus as well as the meaning of his birth for all people. As the angels announced to the shepherds, his birth is a great joy for all people. That's why we want to experience great joy today through this report and share it with everyone.

1. The journey of Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem (2:1-7)

Nowadays we often hear that an unmarried girl has become pregnant. This happens occasionally today. But during the lifetimes of Mary and Joseph, there were hardly any such stories.

Joseph and Mary were engaged but not yet married. This means that despite their engagement, the two had hardly met in person. And during their engagement, Mary already became pregnant by the Holy Spirit. But she got pregnant before marriage. When Joseph found out that she was pregnant, he secretly wanted to separate from her. But when he learned from the angel of God that Mary had become pregnant through the Holy Spirit, he took her home with him. Many people today doubt that Mary became pregnant by the Holy Spirit. But the biblical story of the virgin conception is a true story.

At that time, Israel was a colony of the Roman Empire. Emperor Augustus ordered a census, according to which all women and men between the ages of 13 and 65 had to go to their hometown and register. The purpose of this registration was that all registered persons should pay a certain amount of money as tax.

Due to this imperial order, all Israelites had to go to their place of birth and register there. Both Joseph and Mary were poor. They had to follow the emperor's orders unconditionally, even though Maria was heavily pregnant. Since Joseph's birthplace was Bethlehem, he had to go there with Mary. The travel distance from Nazareth to Bethlehem is approximately 130 km. If they walk about 40 km a day, they could walk for about three days. But Maria was a heavily pregnant woman. The couple probably had to take breaks often.

When Joseph and Mary reached Bethlehem, it was time for their delivery. Since the couple was poor, Maria had to give birth to her child in the stable. But there is something else surprising in this story. Today the Church of the Nativity stands in Bethlehem. Emperor Constantine and his mother, Helena, had this Church of the Nativity built at the birthplace of Jesus in the early 4th century, when Helena traveled to Bethlehem and other important places in Jesus' life in 326. This Church of the Nativity is the oldest church in the world. In the 6th century, Emperor Justinian (527 – 565) had this Church of the Nativity built in its current form. Since then, worship in this church has continued uninterrupted. The individual parts of the building were administered by the Greek Orthodox, Armenian Orthodox, and Catholic Churches. The service is celebrated in the Greek Orthodox tradition. Eastern liturgy is the basis of inspiration for Eastern Christians. The liturgy appeals to all human senses; the believer's eyes admire the beauty of the holy icons. The ears listen to the heavenly songs. The incense surrounds the worshiper with an aromatic fragrance, the worshiper's body glorifies the Creator through symbolic actions, and the worshiper's spirit is exalted for the worship of the Heavenly Father.

 Birthday church in Bethlehem[1]

Archaeological finds show that in houses around Bethlehem, the guest room was often at the front of the house and the room for animals was at the back of the house.

But Joseph and Mary arrived too late or were too poor, so they didn't get a proper guest room. They had to move to the stable.

The shepherds who visited the couple with their newborn baby noticed that the stable smelled of animal dung. But that was just a minor matter. In this room was the King of Kings.

Jesus did not come into the world to display his divine power. Rather, he came to reveal God's mercy and grace to us. But we often look for a king of power who could defeat our enemies and make us proud. But Jesus is not such a king. He was born a poor baby. Because he was so poor and helpless, his mother, a heavily pregnant woman, had to undertake an arduous journey. And even though she wanted to give birth, she wasn't given a proper room. Jesus was poor and helpless from birth. That's why he understands us well. He can well understand our poverty and our weakness and can save us from our sin and help us.

We wanted to become good people. But we couldn't. Then God became human like us and lived among us. And we see His glory. But his fame was somewhat unusual. It was glory without glorious clothing. It was a humbling honor.

We can ask ourselves, are we ready to accept this unusual Christmas message? Can we give our hearts to the poor baby Jesus so that he can come into our hearts? Can Jesus find room in our hearts so that Immanuel can live with us? Maybe we only want to accept him when he appears to us in power and glory?

A medieval Christmas poem says, “Though Christ was born a thousand times in Bethlehem, but not in your heart, your heart is still lost.” That's right. Do you receive Jesus in a cowshed behind your heart or in your heart?

We now want to decide whether we...

We now want to decide whether we should seek the glory of the Emperor Augustus or the child Jesus. Everyone should choose their king, either Jesus or Augustus.

Emperor Augustus was one of the most powerful rulers in history. He commanded thousands of Roman legions, and his empire stretched to the ends of the known world. His word was law and power. Because of his words, the whole world had to move. His birthday was a holiday for the entire empire. .

The baby Jesus had no power against this. His parents had to endure a difficult journey. Since he was very poor, he was not given a suitable room to give birth.

Yet he is called “Christ the Lord.” His lineage shows that he is the Messiah and the true King. Although he was born a true king, there was no room for him in the inns of Bethlehem. That's why he had to be born in a stable and lie in a manger. Only a few despised shepherds came and congratulated him on his birth. But he is the real king.

Around 2,000 years have now passed since the birth of Jesus. Where is Emperor Augustus now? He has disappeared. His empire has also disappeared. His arms are gone. But Jesus is still here. He rules with love and justice. His kingdom is getting bigger and bigger. Earthly kings and kingdoms are nothing.

Who are we impressed by – Emperor Augustus or Jesus? Should we worship and worship any person or thing like money or power or Jesus, who was born in the manger? Do we trust people like Augustus or Jesus? Do we want to worship Emperor Augustus or Jesus Christ?

May God help us to make a wise decision and live a blessed life.

2. Don't be afraid! (8-9)

Nowadays, some people consider shepherding to be a romantic profession. They believe that David was first a shepherd and later became king of Israel. But at the time of Christ's birth, a shepherd was a respected, poor professional class. Because shepherds, because of their profession, could not properly observe the Sabbath laws. Therefore, the Pharisees classified the shepherds as lawless, condemned people. Furthermore, the shepherds were poor and uneducated. That's why they were despised. Nobody cared about her real name. They simply call them “You shepherds!” That's why Luke couldn't tell us any of their names.

Although shepherds were despised by men, God valued them greatly and announced the birth of Christ to some nameless shepherds tending their sheep in the Bethlehem area. Bethlehem was the birthplace of David. David was born and raised there before serving King Saul (1 Samuel 16:1). And the prophet Amos then prophesied that the promised Christ would be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:1; Matthew 2:5-6).

Today, Christmas is celebrated in the Catholic and Protestant worlds on December 25th as Christ's birthday. In the Orthodox Church, Christmas is celebrated on January 7th.

But why do we celebrate Christmas on December 25th? Some explain it like this: Christians celebrated Christmas on December 25th, so they wanted to replace the pagan sun festival on December 25th, which was widespread around the world at the time, with the celebration of Christ's birthday.

Why does the Orthodox Church celebrate Christmas not on December 25th, but only on January 7th? This difference arose because Catholic and Protestant churches celebrate Christmas according to the new, current Gregorian calendar, but the Orthodox Church celebrates Christmas according to the old Julian calendar.

The old Julian calendar was created in 46 B.C. Created by Julius Caesar. Introduced. According to the Julian calendar, a leap day is introduced every 4 years so that the month of February has 29 days in leap years. But the length of the year is not exactly 365.25 days, but 365.2422 days. This discrepancy was corrected in 1582 by the Gregorian calendar (by Pope Gregory XIII) by introducing 8 leap days within 1000 years.

If it is January 7th according to today's (i.e., Gregorian) calendar, it is only December 25th according to the old Julian calendar. That is why the Orthodox Church celebrates Christmas on January 7th.

Was Christ actually born on December 25th or January 7th?

Our Gospel tells us that the shepherds were tending their sheep in the open air when the Christ child was born. In Israel, sheep are not allowed to graze openly in the winter (December to March) due to the cold. Therefore we can say that Christ was not born in winter. Some scholars believe that Christ was most likely born in the fall (or spring). But we don't know the exact birthday of Christ. It was not until the 4th century AD that Christ's birthday was set as December 25th or January 7th.

Let us now return to the shepherds in the Bethlehem area. God sent his angel to these poor, despised shepherds to give them the best news. As the angel approached them, the glory of God shone around them. That was a glorious presence of God. For God occasionally reveals himself to people so that they can experience his glory. We remember the account in the book of Exodus. The Bible consists of the Old Testament and the New Testament. The word “testament” means “God’s covenant with man.” The content of the Old Covenant means that God accepted Israel as His people and commanded Israel to keep God's commandments. This is what God said to the Israelites when he made the Old Covenant with them: "If you therefore obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my possession above all nations, for the whole earth is mine. And you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy people" (Exodus 19:5-6).

Then the book of Exodus 24:16 tells us of the appearance of God as follows: “The glory of God rested on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days.”

Unfortunately, the Israelites made a covenant with God and sinned against God. They should be condemned for their sin, but God was merciful. He made a new covenant with all believing people from all nations. The content of the New Covenant looks something like this: <God sends Jesus Christ into the world so that all people from all nations who believe in Jesus as the Son of God can receive forgiveness of their sins and become children of God.>

When Jesus Christ was born, God was very happy because God wanted to save all people from the power of sin and death through the New Covenant and make them his children. The new covenant is fulfilled by the coming of Christ. This is why we should be concerned about the birth of Christ.

3. The message of the angel (10-14)

The shepherds had not yet experienced the miraculous appearance of the angel. Therefore, when they saw the miraculous appearance of the angel with heavenly glory, they were greatly afraid. That's why the angel wanted to calm them down.

What did the angel say to them?

He said, "Do not be afraid! Behold, I bring you tidings of great joy that will come to all the people; for to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord" (10-11).

He announced great news of joy to them and to us! This message can bring joy back to anyone who is sad, hopeless, or discouraged.

What makes us hopeless and sad? There are thousands of things that make us feel hopeless and sad. You can watch TV shows. We are witnesses to thousands of tragic events in the world: injustice, strife, hunger, war, and death. That's why we become sad, hopeless, and pessimistic. Some suffer from depression. According to estimates, around 6 million people in Germany suffer from depression every year.

Why do people get depressed? Your Negative and disbelieving thoughts are often the cause of depression. Of course, there are people who suffer from depression due to a physical defect. But most people suffer from depression because of their unbelief in God. Some even commit suicide, like goalkeeper Robert Enke in 2009.

We absolutely need faith in God and His goodness to overcome the pessimistic mood. Without faith in God and His goodness, we become pessimistic. Without firm faith in God's forgiveness and blessings, we become vulnerable to depression. Of course, not only good things happen to us. Nevertheless, we should firmly believe in God and His good guidance. We should constantly accept and hold on to God’s grace in Jesus Christ. We should not look critically at ourselves or other people and judge them. Rather, we should see ourselves and others through the grace of God. We should not despair even if something negative happens to us.

The shepherds heard the good news: “I bring you the good news of great joy that will come to all people, for to you is born today a Savior, who is Christ the Lord!”

Despite their poverty and humility, the shepherds were not unbelievers. Rather, they simply believed in the Good News of God and were very happy about it. And they reacted quickly.

With great joy, they wanted to go immediately and see the newborn Christ child. Therefore, they were the first outsiders to witness the joy of Christ's birth and spread the news because they immediately went and looked at the Christ child and felt heavenly joy and blessing. After observing Him, they told other people this news. So we can also hear the good news. Although they were poor, unskilled people, their simple faith in the Good News was very precious, more precious than all the treasures of the world.

Let us assume that the people of the world have not yet heard the good news of Christ's coming. They must live in a sad, hopeless world. In their world, the power of darkness and death would have the final say.

But thank God that Jesus Christ came and brought us the message of salvation. We are to warmly welcome Jesus Christ and receive light and joy. But with our human eyes alone, we cannot see or receive the Savior. God helps us there. He can open our eyes through the Holy Spirit so that we see Jesus as the Savior, accept him warmly, and experience great joy. May God give us great joy through Jesus Christ.

Let's look at verses 13 and 14. Suddenly, a large group of angels steps forward and joins the angel who had just spoken to the shepherds.

The appearance of the great host of angels was a wonderful spectacle. It was an opening to the heavenly world.

But the angelic host itself draws our attention not to itself, but to God and his Christ. They praised: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men.”

This hymn explains well the meaning of the birth of Christ:

The coming of Christ gives glory to God and peace to godly people.

What does the angels' song of praise explain to us? It tells us two things.

First, the coming of Christ glorifies God.

Because of our sin, we cannot see God. But God came into our world as a human being. Why? That every man may see God in Christ and believe in him, for God has revealed himself in Christ; God has revealed his glory, omnipotence, faithfulness, and mercy in Christ. Therefore, the coming of Christ glorifies God. All angels and all creation should praise and honor God who sent his Christ to redeem his creation.

People are often unfaithful, but God is absolutely faithful and has kept his promise. He sent the Messiah to redeem us from our sin and the power of death.

God is also absolutely merciful. Christ died on the cross for our sins, but he is all-powerful. Therefore, he rose from the dead and ascended into heaven. He now rules over the living and the dead. He will come again and take us into his kingdom. Through his coming, his death, his resurrection, and his second coming, he gave and still gives glory to God. He did and does everything to give glory to God.

We should also honor God through our faith, our speech, and our actions. We should honor and praise God in all circumstances, be it good times or bad. This is the true meaning of our life in Christ. When we give glory to God in Jesus Christ, God is very pleased and gives us much joy and honor, even when we are in a bad situation. In this way we can experience great joy and live a meaningful life.

But anyone who only expects worldly benefits from Jesus Christ will be disappointed and easily fall into meaninglessness. Because of this, some people are joyless and unmotivated.

We must clearly accept the truth that Christ came first of all to the glory of God and that we have become his children first of all to the glory of God. When we accept this truth wholeheartedly and give God glory, God is pleased and gives us much joy and motivation. May God give us faith in Jesus Christ so that we can live joyfully to the glory of God.

Second, the coming of Christ gives peace to his people.

The angelic host praised: “Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace, goodwill toward men.”

Who does the angelic society mean by the people of his pleasure? By this she means the people who believe in Jesus as Christ and Son of God and have thereby accepted the forgiveness of their sins. They greatly please God because of their faith in Christ. Furthermore, they have peace with God in their hearts because of the forgiveness of their sins. You also have eternal life. They will certainly enter the kingdom of heaven in the future. This means your life is 100% safe. Therefore they have an unshakable peace. Neither death nor the devil can disturb this peace. We should cherish this peace and enjoy it well. If we properly value this peace, we will be truly peaceful and blissful.

We should proclaim this peace in this troubled world so that people can experience true peace.

4. Let's go to Bethlehem! (15-21)

When the shepherds heard the good news of the birth of Christ, they did not remain listeners. They said to one another, “Let us go to Bethlehem and see what has happened, what the Lord has told us” (15).

They immediately set out, hurried and found Mary and Joseph and the Christ child lying in the manger. After they saw the Christ child, they told what the angel had told them about the child. So they passed on God's word. Although they were poor, unskilled people, they were good witnesses of the gospel. Your testimony has changed the world. Your witness has transformed the dark world of sin and death into a bright world of eternal life. This is the power of the witness of the gospel.

After the visit of the Christ child, the shepherds returned to their flock.

When they returned, they praised God for everything they had heard and seen. They probably sang the angel's message and the praises of the angelic hosts:

(Solo): "Do not be afraid! Behold, I bring you great joy,

what will happen to all people;

for the Savior was born for you today,

Who is Christ the Lord in the city of David?

(Chorus): “Glory to God in the highest

and peace on earth, goodwill among men!” Amen!

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[1] www.Stern-von-Bethlehem.de/newsarchiv05.html