The Miracle of a Savior's Birth

Luke 2:8-12 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.” Jesus' name in Hebrew is Yeshua. Yeh refers to Yahweh, the name of God. Shua means "a cry for help. A shout given when in need of rescue."  Jesus’ name means “When we cry for help, God Saves” How awesome is that?

We may take it for granted that Jesus is called Savior. But He is only referred to as savior twice in all four Gospels. Once in John chapter 4 and once here in Luke, Chapter 2. 

This baby, this small child, has come to be our savior. 

Savior, in its Greek form, was a well-known term around the time of Jesus’ birth, used by the Romans to describe Caesar or great military leaders. 

It means to make safe, to preserve, to make alive, to deliver. 

But Luke uses it to describe a newborn baby. 

And this baby is communicating to us that when we cry for help, God will deliver us. 

Jesus was born a savior. He didn’t become one. From the moment he was delivered, he began to deliver us.  He delivers us from the all-consuming quest for wealth or power. 

• In contrast to Caesar Augustus, the leader of the greatest military power in the history of the world, Jesus is born in the humblest of surroundings. In a cave, in a feeding trough carved out of the rock wall, in abject poverty. 

• Riches and power won’t buy you a seat at His table. Only those who humble themselves, and surrender their worldly wealth and power, find deliverance. 

He delivers us from the need to clean ourselves up before we come to him. 

• The angels appeared to shepherds with their good news of a savior. Shepherding was not a well-respected occupation. Shepherds were dirty and known to be thieves. They were untrustworthy and could not testify in a court of law. They had to live outside the city walls. 

• Jesus has come for outsiders. We don’t need to clean ourselves up first to come into the presence of God. He came to us and made Himself accessible to anyone with faith enough to approach Him. 

He delivers us from ourselves. 

• Ultimately, we all have the same problem: sin. And it’s destroying us. 

• Jesus has come to do something about our sin once and for all. Forgiveness and new life await those who trust in Him. 

He was just a baby. But he was so much more. He was born a savior. Born to deliver us and set us free. 

Perhaps you’re skeptical. I get it. 

Can one small child really change everything?

When our oldest child was born, we didn’t know what gender he was until he arrived. So, when he was delivered and we found out he was a boy, I rushed out and told everyone waiting for us, including my in-laws, “I have a son.”

Oh, really? Didn’t have any help with that, did you? 

My wife and me. We. We have a son. That’s one I wish I could have back.  

Although there were many times when my son was a child that my wife said, “He’s your son.” 

But we had no idea how that one small baby would change everything about our lives. And everyone who has become a parent understands exactly what I’m talking about. Ordinary babies change everything. Even though they’re so small. 

And, really, it’s always the smallest things that make the biggest difference. 

Do you have faith that Jesus, born in Bethlehem, is the savior of your life? It seems unlikely, if not impossible, to the logical mind. 

Everything about Christianity is rooted in faith. 

And some of these things might seem ridiculous if you choose not to believe. 

No way it could have happened that way, right?

God is asking us to believe the impossible. 

In Matthew 19:26, Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

Christmas is a reminder that the very foundation of who we are as Christians is faith. Being certain of what we can’t see. Believing that the impossible is possible because nothing is impossible for God. 

Christmas is a reminder that we live and move and breathe with a God who loves doing the impossible. He uses people and situations that nobody else would even think of to accomplish His purposes in the world. 

• Mary was a peasant girl. Joseph was just a carpenter. 

• Jesus was born in an animal pen and placed in a feeding trough. 

• And the only reason we know all of this is because of the ordinary people who walked with him and told us what He did and said. 

Christmas is a reminder that you don’t have to be powerful, or wealthy or exceptional to be saved. You just have to put yourself in the hands of a God who wants to give you new life. 

• Do you feel small? God will deliver you.

• Do you feel unprepared? God will deliver you.

• Do you feel ordinary? God will deliver you.

• Do you feel insignificant? God will deliver you.

• Do you feel unworthy? God will deliver you.

Christmas is about the power of one small child. It’s about believing the impossible. 

This Christmas, believe in the baby, born a savior, who became a man who stretched out His arms and died for the sins of the world.