Luke 2:1-14 on July 12, 2026
Above is audio of the sermon pulled from the video and amplified.
Below is transcript pulled from the video and formatted by artificial intelligence. There may be inconsistencies or errors.
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Christmas in July: The Good News of Great Joy
I remember our first real Christmas here in Myrtle Beach. It was a novelty to see palm trees with Christmas lights strung around them. And having just moved from Pennsylvania, the chilly 55 degree temperature was cute. The ocean, the sand, tropical trees, and a light jacket made it feel like it wasn't really Christmas, but it was fun nonetheless.
Fast forward to today, as we are celebrating Christmas on a day when our AC units have been working over time. And while we don't quite have as many decorations up as we normally do in December, we are still singing the carols and having a little bit of festive flair. Now odd for this time of year, it is still oddly satisfying. It's Christmas in July.
The Nativity Story Transcends Season
And maybe that is a good place to start. The Nativity Story isn't really about the season. Instead, it is about what God has done for us in the incarnation of Jesus Christ, that baby born long, long ago. The story setup is the same as in winter: a census, emperor Augustus, and Quirinius, a trip to Bethlehem, and then a baby wrapped in bands of cloth.
The Shepherds' Terror and God's Response
There are shepherds out in a field, minding their own business when suddenly an angel of the Lord stands before them. And the shepherds are more than mildly alarmed, more than somewhat shocked. They are terrified—terrified—because that is what happens when the divine breaks into our world. We don't have the mental, emotional, or spiritual capacity for that type of thing. Fear takes hold. This is not as pleasant of a surprise as one might think. It is terrifying.
And so the angel responds with one of the oldest and most repeated phrases in all of scripture: "Do not be afraid."
In some ways, this moment is a summary of the entire story of the Bible. God breaks in, we freak out, and God always responds the same way: "Don't fear. Peace to you. It'll all be okay." And that declaration helps the shepherds and us to be more receptive to hearing the next piece.
Good News of Great Joy for All People
"I am bringing you good news of great joy for all of the people."
First, this is an announcement of good news. It's not hedging bets or suggesting a better way. It is a declaration that this news is good. It is an announcement of great joy—overwhelming, happy, glorious. It is joy at full volume. And it is an announcement for all the people. Not a few, not the top, not the lucky—all the people, including a bunch of terrified shepherds who were just hanging out in a field hoping to make it through the night without any incident.
And even more, this is an announcement for a particular reason, for a singular purpose. There is an announcement that a child has been born.
God's Answer: A Person
See, God's true answer to the shepherds' terror isn't a speech or a pep talk or a sermon. God's true answer is a person. And that person, that child, is good news. Great joy for all the people.
In a specific place on a specific night in a feed trough to a young unwed mother in a town that nobody was paying all that much attention to—into our world, the infinite, holy other God didn't stay at that terrifying distance. Instead, God came down. God became flesh and blood, a tiny, nursing baby.
This is the Messiah, the Lord, the Savior. This is God in the flesh. God for us, God small enough to be wrapped in cloth and laid in a manger. This is good news. This is great joy for all the people, all the people.
Born For You
But specifically to you, to you is born this Christ. For you, Jesus came. And that "to you" is important.
In a 1544 Christmas sermon, Martin Luther drove that point home. He would ask, "What difference does it make that God is born unless you know that God is born for you?" And in that angelic phrase, "to you is born," a general good news announcement is made particular, made specific, made to you. Good news, great joy for you.
The angel wants to make sure that the shepherds hear the good news in that way. And I want to make sure that you hear it that way too. Christ is born for you.
In whatever field you are in, despite whatever terrifies you, no matter the dark night that you will pass through without incident—for you is born. For you is body given. For you is blood shed. For you and for all people.
Not Just December, But Now
Not just in December, but now. Because our joy isn't tied to a date. It's tied to a person. A child.
And while this child is born for you, we should also remember that it doesn't just stop with you. To bust out the southern abit, it's for y'all. That's what the angel says. Christ is born for all y'all. Christ is for you and for all.
Sharing Joy With Others
And that's what the ornaments on the tree are all about. This joy cannot stop with me or with you. It needs to be shared so that all people know the good news of great joy that is for them too.
Each ornament on that tree represents a little bit of joy that we are sharing with youth and children near and far. We're helping to support Lutheran Ridge and Lutheran Services Carolinas as they carry out their work of living out good news with great joy.
A couple of weeks ago, we had five youth head up the mountain for a confirmation week at Lutheran Ridge full of songs, learning, and enjoying God's creation. This past weekend, we had several more returning from music week at camp. And many of us have our own stories and memories of our time at camps growing up. Maybe even some of you at Lutheran Ridge.
Our gifts for their 75th birthday appeal will strengthen ministry in that place for the next 75 years. Lutheran Services Carolinas does the same thing, but at a different level—showing up for families and foster kids, kids who are often the people that our world has stopped noticing. Our gifts to LSC will provide great joy for those kids who don't often have much to be joyful about.
A Message For All
What we are doing with this celebration and with the monetary gifts that we collect is saying: "This good news of great joy is for you, for all the people, for every single one of them."
The great joy of Christ's birth does not stay put. It is not stuck on a day or in a season. Instead, it spreads, it grows—even to a hot July morning.
So with carols and poinsettias and cold air pumping through the vents, we hear the angel's proclamation again. Maybe like it's the first time.
"Do not be afraid. For see, I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people. To you is born this day in the city of David a savior who is the Messiah, the Lord."
A Joy Beyond Season
In a few minutes, you are going to walk back out into the July heat, past palm trees, into a world that has no idea that it is Christmas. But you will know something that it doesn't. You will know that the joy we just proclaimed was never tied to December, never tied to snow or twinkle lights. It was tied to a person, a child, born for you, born for all, born for all y'all.
Thanks be to God.