The Anthem of Christmas
December 18, 2022 | Jonathan Kerhoulas
“And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.” – Luke 2:8-11
Will you hold my hand?
You’re welcome to stay a bit longer.
Will you sit and listen a while?
Will you have dinner with me this Friday?
Let’s go on a bike ride.
Congratulations, you’ve been accepted to attend grad school with us.
There’s this work thing coming up, will you join me?
Tell me what happened.
Sit with me and play, daddy.
I want to love you forever, will you marry me?
An invitation may come in countless shapes, sizes, or mediums. But invitations are always relational. They build social bonds; they cross boundaries, knock down walls, and create friendships; they are additive, inclusive, and intimate. Invitations open doors of relational possibility. And invitation is, itself, the heartbeat and anthem of Christmas.
Angels and shepherds were an unlikely pairing. Most people (if they could, themselves, believe in the reality of heavenly beings) would not have anticipated that the announcement of the arrival of God’s Son would have been made to shepherds. A shepherd’s reputation in the ancient near east would have been highly suspect. In fact, the detail we’re provided that the shepherds were “Out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night” might have received an unsympathetic “Amen!” from the locals – “Keep those shepherds out in the fields and away from us, we don’t trust them!”
Yet – and this is where the invitation of Christmas begins to build steam – the angelic messenger didn’t offer a warning, or a threat, or a “moral of the story” to the Judean sheep-keepers that night. The angel offered an invitation: “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.” We know it was an invitation because a few verses later these men collected their things, calmed their hearts, and made their way over to Bethlehem to meet their messiah.
Shepherds may have been the first to hear and respond, but the invitation of Christmas still stands: “Fear not, a Savior has been born, come and see! For us, the invitation is less about Bethlehem and a barn but just as much about encountering a God whose very presence dismantles and destroys fear. Invitation is the anthem of Christmas, it’s the background melody of the gospel, and it could be the background music for your heart. But is it?
For you, today, the invitation of Christmas may look, feel, or sound like this:
Do not fear, your past does not define you anymore.
You can drop the act, I’ve seen it all, and you are loved.
Shame won’t win the day, Jesus lost (on the cross) to take if off your shoulders.
Real freedom is an actual possibility.
Peace isn’t a pipedream, it’s found in a person named Jesus.
Forgiveness of sin is your biggest problem. And Jesus is your greatest solution.
You don’t have to function as your own messiah anymore. Christmas means the Savior of the world has come. For you.
There’s real hope for healing the deepest wounds in your life.
God himself has promised he will never leave nor forsake you.
Death has been defeated and eternity with God is now your guaranteed future.
Yes, this and so much more, is the invitation of Christmas. Have you received it? And are you now ready to extend it? Invite is the third category in our ABIDE acronym for spiritual practices at Trinity (along with Adore, Bless, Devote, Examine). We include community and hospitality as ways we are formed to practice inviting others just as we have received the invitation of Christmas. To help you engage with these practices, we invite you to spend time this week with the following reflection questions.
Reflection Questions
Invitations: Christmas is all about God’s invitation to us to “fear not.” This means it’s the perfect season to extend an invitation, of some kind, to others. Say a short prayer, asking the Lord to put some people on your heart. What kind of invitation might be right? Could it be to a casual weekend coffee or to sit at the lunch table with you? Could it be a kind text message to an isolated co-worker, or an invitation to church for someone wrestling with faith? Extend a few invitations, of various kinds, this week.
Hospitality: Plan something simple for this season or early in the New Year that brings people into your home. Home and table are often the most effective ways to open doors of relational possibility. What could you do? Who will you invite?
Read and Listen: Spend some time reading through Matthew 1-2, Luke 1-2, and sections of scripture like Jesus’ interaction with Zacchaeus (Luke 19) or the Samaritan woman (John 4). Afterwards, listen to your favorite version of O Come Let Us Adore Him. In both the scripture and the music, remain attentive the invitations of Christmas, and allow the grace of the season to fill your heart with joy.
