This spiritual about the birth of Jesus reminds us that we must, like the shepherds, be excited by the news that God sent His son to us. In all we have missed during the past year, we must not miss the praise, promise, peace and purpose that Jesus brings to our lives.
The Jubilee Singers of Fisk University took the African American spiritual songs that were sung on the plantations and made them known to the entire world. John Wesley Work, Jr. was born on August 6, 1871. His father was the choir director for a church in Nashville, so he grew up singing in his father’s choir.
Work enrolled at Fisk University where he earned an undergraduate degree and a master’s degree and then joined the faculty there teaching Latin and Greek. But, his first love was making known these African American spirituals he learned from his father and through Fisk University.
One of the last of these songs to be publicized to the rest of the world was Go Tell It on the Mountain. Work wrote two new verses for the song which was first published in 1907 in Work’s Folk Songs of the Negro as Sung on the Plantations. The words and the tune are very uplifting and tell the story of the birth of Jesus.
Matthew and Luke provide the biblical record of the birth of Jesus. For this meditation, we will focus on Luke chapter 2 which gives the most details of the birth of Jesus. During the Christmas season many pastors preach using this chapter or portions of it as their text. I recently heard Pastor Marty (Marty Jacumin) preach on this passage relating it to the unique year we’ve just finished . . . 2020. So, I am in debt to him for some of the ideas for this meditation.
2020: What we have missed and what we must not miss
The year 2020 has been a year where we have all had to give up some things…we have missed some important activities that are a part of our normal life . . . things that we depend on for living. Let’s list a few of those things we have missed in 2020.
Worship services
Weddings
Funerals
Visiting the sick
Graduations
Work
Family gatherings
Sporting events
Cultural events
And the list goes on
The Christmas season of 2020 offered us some key aspects of the birth of Jesus that we must not miss. They are contained in the passage from Luke 2 and are in the lyrics of this famous spiritual. So let’s examine them.
First, we must not miss the person . . . Jesus Christ. It is His birth that is celebrated. He is the Son of God. In John chapter 1 we are told that He was with God in the beginning and He was God. In Colossians chapter 1 Paul writes the following about Jesus.
The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
Colossians 1: 13-20
Notice that the lyrics in Go Tell It On The Mountain refer to “He” as the humble Christ who was “down in a lowly manger.” So, the Son of God humbled Himself to become an earthly child. He gave up His place in Heaven to become one of us.
Therefore, He was tempted as we are and He suffered much more than most of us are called to endure.
Second, we don’t want to miss the praise. The angel appeared first to Mary, then to Joseph, and then to the shepherds. The “glory of the Lord shone around them” and they were really afraid. But, Luke tells us that suddenly a “multitude of heavenly hosts” was with the angel praising God. And, they were saying.
Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.
Luke 2: 13
The heavenly hosts were praising God for the birth of His Son. God has come down to earth . . . Emmanuel. In no other religion does God come to His people! So during the Christmas season especially we want to praise God for giving us His Son. Don’t miss the praise!
Third, we don’t want to miss the promise. In Luke 2 verse 11 we find this promise . . . the greatest gift: “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” The promise is that God has sent to us a savior . . . someone to keep us from perishing. And, that savior is Jesus Christ.
In addition, He will become our Lord. When the angel visited Mary before His birth, the angel told Mary that this child she was going to deliver (as a virgin) would reign over the house of Jacob forever: “His kingdom will never end.” When Joseph discovered that Mary was pregnant, even though he had not been with her, he considered divorcing her quietly so she would not be exposed to public disgrace. But, an angel came to him and said
“Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”
Matthew 1: 20-21
Joseph obeyed the angel and named his son Jesus. Notice the promise to Mary and Joseph. God has sent His Son to reign forever and to save His people from their sins. The third verse of our hymn describes this perfectly as follows.
“Down in a lowly manger The humble Christ was born, And
Brought us God’s salvation that blessed Christmas morn”!
This is the magnificent promise of Christmas from God . . . don’t miss the promise!
Fourth, we are promised peace . . . peace with God. This peace is the result of the promise. Jesus makes peace for us with God. Recall what the heavenly hosts were singing . . . “and on earth, peace to those on whom His favor rests.” Who are they and how does He accomplish that? This peace with God means that we are no longer separated from God because of our sins. Our sins have been atoned for . . . our debt has been paid. God looks at us as having the righteousness of Jesus. We are saved from eternal destruction.
How are we saved? We are saved by the grace of God alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone! God has changed our hearts so that we respond to the gospel with faith in Jesus as our Savior and Lord.
As Paul states in 2 Corinthians,
For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness”, made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.
2 Corinthians 4:6
So, it is by grace we are saved, not by our own efforts so no one can brag about it! This peace is available to us if we have faith in the one God sent to be our Savior and Lord. Don’t miss the peace!
Fifth and finally, there is a purpose for us. In other words, there is an appropriate response for us. What did the shepherds do after they discovered this amazing gift from God? Luke 2:17 gives us the answer.
When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child.
Luke 2:17
They could not contain themselves . . . they had to tell others about this amazing gift from God. They had just been witness to some of the glory of God. They had received a promise that could rescue the perishing! This was life changing news. So, right at the beginning of the life of Jesus we have eye witnesses going to tell the news . . . the gospel. They are evangelists! At the end of the life of Jesus, He gives His disciples this command in Matthew chapter 28.
Then Jesus came to them and said,
“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Matthew 28: 18-20
The Westminster Shorter Catechism begins with this question. What is the chief end of man?
The answer is “to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever.”
In other words our main purpose is to glorify God. Surely that includes telling others about Him . . . and His Son. So, this command from Jesus is found in church doctrine but it is also the main theme of our hymn for meditation. It is an imperative . . . “go tell it on the mountain, over the hills and everywhere.” So as we celebrate the birth of Jesus . . . God’s ultimate gift to the world . . . let’s don’t miss the opportunity to tell someone about it!
So especially in the season of Advent and Christmas, remember (don’t miss)
- The Person . . . Jesus Christ
- The Praise . . . to God
- The Promise . . . of salvation
- The Peace . . . with God through faith in Christ
- Our Purpose . . . go tell it on the mountain, over the hills and everywhere!
Amen.
Hymns for Him 