Grace, mercy, and peace to you in the name of Christ our Saviour. Amen.
I’m sure you have all heard Linus tell the
shepherd’s version of the Christmas story.
And there were in the
same country shepherds abiding
in the field, keeping
watch over their flock by night.
And, lo, the angel of
the Lord came upon them,
and the glory of the
Lord shone round about them:
and they were so
afraid.
And the angel said unto
them, Fear not: for, behold,
I bring you good
tidings of great joy,
which shall be to all
people.
For unto you is born
this day in the city of David a Saviour,
which is Christ the
Lord.
And this shall be a
sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe
wrapped in swaddling
clothes, lying in a manger.
And suddenly there was
with the angel a multitude of the
heavenly host praising
God, and saying,
Glory to God in the
highest, and on earth peace,
good will toward men.
But
why did God announce the birth to shepherds?
The
presence of the shepherds is an interesting part of the Christmas story. They
don’t say much. They don’t do much. But it sure was important to God that they
be there for the birth of Jesus. And that says a lot.
When
the time came to tell Zechariah about the birth of John the Baptist, God sent
one angel.
When
the time came to tell Mary about the birth of Jesus, God sent one angel.
When
the time came to announce the birth of Jesus to the shepherds, he sent a whole
sky full of angels.
These
guys were out in their fields, minding their own business, when this sky full
of angels suddenly appear, announcing the most important news in the world –
the fact that Jesus was born.
Shepherds
were the first to look, shepherds living in fields. Unlettered, unwashed
herders of livestock existing at the margins, far from the power-centers of
respectability and prestige.
The
shepherds were faithful to what they heard. They listened to the message from
God.
The
shepherds then took the next step to find out if it’s true. They followed the
sign God had given them and they rushed into town to see the baby for
themselves. They met the savior because they listened and obeyed God’s
guidance.
And
they didn’t just huddle together and enjoy the blessing they had for
themselves. They went out and they told everyone.
Those
shepherds were the first evangelists.
They
didn’t have a theological education.
They
didn’t know the whole story.
But
they knew that God had spoken to them. God had touched their lives. And they
wanted others to know. They just told what God had done for them.
This
message of hope emerges among the least significant, among shepherds, among
those who could never have imagined that they would be forever remembered in
human history.
This
is news that deserved to be told to the most important people in the world: the
kings and emperors.
But
is this who heard the news first? No! God sent his angel to lowly shepherds
tending to flocks of sheep.
Let
it be said clearly this night. Heaven and earth meet in obscure places, not in
the halls of power.
Shepherds
and angels.
A
birth in the city of King David, but far from a royal residence.
And
that birth, that joy is for all people. Verse 14a, “peace among those with whom
God favors” is not a phrase designed to limit God’s favor and peace to a few.
We
human creatures, along with God’s other creatures, have been favored. The light
came in those dark fields and that dim room in Bethlehem because God longs, has
always longed, for us to know and love God.
The
shepherds put things together well enough to become jubilant. They’re promised
a baby, they see a baby, and they recognize that the rest of what they have
been told is true.
Here
he is, the One whom God has sent to show God’s favor. There’s a new world
coming! And that’s good news for the people in our story, for us, and for
everyone.
Nothing
I’ve said so far should be new to you. The Christmas story doesn’t change year
to year. But how we feel about it might, how we are feeling right now will be
very different than last year, and certainly different from the year before.
In
the Christmas story, the entire hosts of angels appeared first to the shepherds
to announce the birth of Jesus. The angel-choir could have announced the birth
from the main hub of Jerusalem to the leaders of the time or gone to the kings
in the East or projected it on a huge billboard of Times Square (well, whatever
that was at the time).
Instead,
the angels went to the Shepherds - some of the lowliest in society at that
time, the marginalized, the unseen - in the middle of the night.
Who
are our modern-day shepherds? Who would be the ones receiving God’s
announcement?
Those
that feel forgotten, marginalized, unseen.
Our
healthcare workers, janitorial staff, technicians, etc in the ICUs who are
living a reality in the hospitals that's opposite to people's actions during
this Christmas season.
Families
who have lost a sister, mom, dad, grandparent this year - but feel unseen as
people go on like things are normal.
Mothers
trying to put food on the table for their kids so they go to work as a retail cashier
with people yelling at them because of one reason or another.
Church
members who have left their church, lost their church, or are feeling angst
about being at their church because they view differently about Loving our
Neighbors than what they are seeing.
Families
who were already on the brink of poverty.
This
list could continue to go on. If you feel angst in this season prior to Christmas,
that's Advent, that's a longing for Hope. If you feel angst in this season and
are marginalized or feel forgotten, you are a Shepherd.
And
that’s who the angels went to first. To herald in the birth of a Redeemer that
would years later say, "Blessed are you who are poor in spirit for yours
is the Kingdom of Heaven".
An
Overcomer who would take all shame, hurt, and pain on a cross and put it to
rest to set things right.
An
Immanuel, God with us, who came for the sick, the poor, the marginalized, the
captives - with us and for us.
A
Love that said the entire law could be summed up in love God and love others.
Especially
the Shepherds.
Amen.
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