The People of Christmas, Part 4

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 of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told. (Luke 2:8-20)

(As a departure from the traditional Advent themes of Hope, Peace, Joy and Love, several years ago I did an Advent devotional series on the People of Christmas - The Prophets, Mary, Joseph, and the Shepherds. I will be sharing these devotions over these four Sundays leading up to Christmas.)

 

The Shepherds 

Like most of the other characters of the Christmas story, we don’t know much about the shepherds. We do know that shepherds were at the bottom of the social pecking order. They spent much of their time out in the fields surrounded by lots of smelly sheep, so they probably didn’t have the best hygiene, not to mention highly developed social skills. They were also probably not terribly well-educated either.

If it had been left to us, we probably would have made a few casting changes for the “Big Announcement” regarding the birth of the Messiah. We might have selected a few choice religious scholars who were well familiar with the prophecies of Scriptures and would surely recognize the signs announced by the angels. Perhaps we would have thrown in a few wealthy civic leaders who would ensure that the new King of the Jews had a great PR campaign. But we’re not God.

God chose the lowliest and most unlikely of people to be the first to receive the good news that a Savior was born. Perhaps it was to show the world that God was not impressed by social status, education, or credentials. Perhaps it was because the Messiah was sent to save the lost sheep of Israel. Or perhaps, it was because they shepherds were just simple enough to actually believe what the angels told them.

They didn’t sit around have a deep theological discussion as to whether the message they heard was accurate, or if it aligned with Scripture, or whether it was some sort of spiritual metaphor. In fact, the only thing they discussed was how quickly they could get to Bethlehem to see this amazing event they had been told about.

Once they had seen the baby for themselves, they didn’t hesitate to tell everyone they met about the incredible events they had witnessed. They didn’t stop to consider that they were ignorant, uneducated, smelly shepherds. They didn’t worry that they might not be qualified to spread such weighty news. I’m pretty sure they also really didn’t care if people thought they were a little wacko – spending too many lonely nights with those sheep, no doubt!

How about us? Are we so quick to tell others about this amazing person named Jesus, who came into the world to save us from our sins? Do we get tongue-tied, nervous and sweaty when we think about having to witness to people we don’t know? Are we afraid that we might not be qualified enough or have the right answers? Or are we simple enough just to take God at His word and excited enough to tell everyone about Jesus, regardless of what they might think about us?

Christmas is the perfect time of year for us to be able to inject Jesus into our conversations and introduce people to the man behind the holiday. After all, it’s all about His birthday, right?

Prayer:

God of all creation, thank you that you didn’t send the Christmas angels to important people of great standing and stature, but rather You chose to reach down to simple people like us. Give us the courage and conviction to tell everyone we meet about the real reason for our Christmas celebration. Amen.

Have a blessed week!

Pastor David