More about today's program
MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM KTWR!!
Through the Eyes of Shepherds and Angels
Pastor Jim Cecy and Pastor Gene Beck, Campus Bible Church Fresno, California
The teaching portion of the program is from a series of studies that
look at Christmas through the eyes of those who were there. These
include Joseph, the husband of Mary and father of Jesus, Mary, the
mother of Jesus, the Magi – wise men from the East who came to see the
new King. In this program we see how Scripture describes the
experiences of heavenly angels and Bethlehem shepherds.
Luke Chapter 2, verses 8 – 20 is the text for this program. It is one
of the Gospel accounts of the birth of Jesus, the promised Messiah.
8 In the same region there were some
shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock
at night. 9 And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood near them, and the
glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened.
10 And so the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I
bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; 11
for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior,
who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be a sign for you: you will
find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a [manger.” 13 And suddenly
there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly army of
angels praising God and saying,
14 “Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace among people with whom He is pleased.”
15 When the angels had departed from
them into heaven, the shepherds began saying to one another, “Let’s go
straight to Bethlehem, then, and see this thing that has happened,
which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 And they came in a hurry and
found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the
manger. 17 When they had seen Him, they made known the statement which
had been told them about this Child. 18 And all who heard it were
amazed about the things which were told them by the shepherds. 19 But
Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20 And
the shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they
had heard and seen, just as had been told them.
The angels and the shepherds are in stark contrast with each other. The
angels are from heaven, the highest of the high; the shepherds are from
earth and the lowest of society, the lowest of the low:
There was a vast army of angels who made themselves known and witnessed
the coming of the King of heaven, but only a few in the band of
shepherds to whom the good news was given.
The angels know the exact day of the birth of the Messiah, but the
shepherds only new the words of the prophets from old that foresaw His
birth without a specific date or time for the event.
The angels came in a spirit of worship, the shepherds became fearful at their glorious appearing.
The angles did not need a Savior, but the shepherds were human, like us, in desperate need of the hope of salvation.
The angels went back onto heaven after making the announcement, the shepherds went straight to the stable in Bethlehem.
The angels had seen the Son of God sitting on a throne in glory, the shepherds saw the Son of Man lying in a manger in a stable.
The heavenly angels announced the birth of Christ to the shepherds, but
the shepherds were the first to announce the Good news to the world.
Though the angels went back to heaven and the shepherds stayed here on earth, both groups were glorifying God that day.
1 Peter 1:12 – The angels desired to look into the salvation that God has provided to man:
12 It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves, but
you, in these things which now have been announced to you through those
who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from
heaven—things into which angels long to look.
Ezekiel 10:18 -
Then the glory of the Lord departed from the threshold of the temple and stood over the cherubim.
Though considered the very lowest of society and humankind, God chose
to first reveal the fulfilment of His great promise of the Messiah to
these shepherds, a surprising demonstration of His humbleness and
humility.
Tonight’s theme is reflected in words from, “O Holy Night”: ”He appeared, and the soul felt it’s worth”.
All of us are now called to carry the Gospel to all mankind as a sweet fragrance:
2 Corinthians 2:14-17 -
14 But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and
manifests through us the fragrance of the knowledge of Him in every
place. 15 For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are
being saved and among those who are perishing: 16 to the one an aroma
from death to death, to the other an aroma from life to life. And who
is adequate for these things? 17 For we are not like the many, peddling
the word of God, but as from sincerity, but as from God, we speak in
Christ in the sight of God.
About the Music
Opening Music
The opening music is an original composition that was originally
intended for commercial use as Christmas atmosphere music for “music on
hold” in the composer’s home office telephone system. It was so well
received that it is now used as atmosphere in radio broadcasts on KTWR,
Guam and other radio venues.
A Christmas Festival
This medley of sacred and secular Christmas songs was arranged by the
famous American composer/arranger, Leroy Anderson. This 1958 recording
has been remastered several times. This version is from 1969. Still
performed today during the holiday season, this beautifully
orchestrated collection of favorite themes includes:
· Joy to the World
· Deck the Halls
· Good King Wenceslas
· God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
· Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
· The First Nowell
· Silent Night
· Jingle Bells
· O Come, All Ye Faithful
O Holy Night
"O Holy Night" (also known as "Cantique de Noël") is a well-known
Christmas carol composed by Adolphe Adam in 1847 to the French poem
"Minuit, chrétiens" (Midnight, Christians) by poet Placide Cappeau
(1808–1877). The carol reflects on the birth of Jesus as humanity's
redemption.
The teaching duo of Campus Bible Church pastors refer to this carol
during their discussion of the Christmas Story as viewed by the
shepherds and the angels. The power biblical truth in this carol also
qualify it as a hymn of the Christian church.
My Grown-up Christmas List
"Grown-Up Christmas List" (sometimes titled "My Grown-Up Christmas
List") is a Christmas song composed by David Foster (music) and Linda
Thompson-Jenner (lyrics). It was originally recorded by Foster, with
Natalie Cole on vocals, for his 1990 non-holiday album River of Love.
This arrangement by Darin Alvord was done in 2013 for the presentation,
“A Modern Christmas Story” in Clovis, California. The vocal recording
was redone with the voice of Shelly-Anne McCormack. Ms. McCormack also
performs the background vocals as well.
All music is public domain or used by permission, BMI and ASCAP.
Return