Wednesday, December 28

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Luke 2:1-20 (selected)

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.

While we didn’t include the shepherds in our recent sermon series, “The Divine Interruption”, they are in the story, of course, and they are in each of the nativity scenes in our house.

In one of the sets, the shepherd appears to have been holding a shepherd’s crook – although the crook has long since been lost from the set. In each other the others, the shepherd is not only holding a stick – but is carrying a sheep as well.

The shepherd figure from the African crèche appears to be dressed very simply, his plain robe unadorned in any way. He is carrying a sheep around his neck, holding its feet in each hand. I think, “Of course! He has to carry his sheep – it may be all he has and who will watch it for him?”

Have you ever wondered why God chose to have a “great company of the heavenly host” appear to these simple men of the fields with the good news of a Savior?

Most of us aren’t terribly familiar with the role of a shepherd in the ancient world. We might assume they would have been something like our farmers today – but that’s not a very good comparison. While today’s farmers may know how to care for or even herd barnyard animals – they are generally seen as hardworking and honest. Shepherds in the ancient world were seen a bit more like “migrant workers” – that is they were not only low on the socio-economic totem pole – but also low on the respect and trust meter.

Imagine Jesus being born into today’s world and the angels show up to celebrate with carnival workers! 

And yet, that’s what God does! Why?

Read the words again and notice the words I have emphasized:

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.

“To you,” the angel says. To you who feel mostly forgotten by both God and your own people; to you who feel unworthy of God’s presence and blessing; to you, shepherds, the good news has come! To you a Savior has been born!

The shepherds are included in the story because we are included in the story; because you are included in the story. If God would announce his good news of salvation to shepherds, of all people, he will announce it to us – to you!

And how did they respond? Luke tells us:

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. Luke 2:16-17

I think people were amazed both at the news of child born to be Savior and at who was bearing this good news! Shepherds!

Frederick Buechner says it this way:

The air wasn’t just emptiness anymore. It was alive. Brightness everywhere, dipping and wheeling like a flock of birds. And what you always thought was silence stopped being silent and turned into the beating of wings, thousands and thousands of them. Only not just wings, as you came to more, but voices – high, wild, like trumpets….And do you know, it was just like being out of jail. I can see us still. The squint-eyed one who always complained of sore feet. The little sawed-off one who could outswear a Roman. The young one who blushed like a girl. We all tore off across that muddy field like drunks at a fair, and drunk we were, crazy drunk, splashing though a sea of wings and moonlight and the silvery wool of the sheep. Was it night? Was it day? Did our feet touch the ground?

“Shh, shh, you’ll wake up my guests,” said the Innkeeper we met coming in the other direction with his arms full of wood. And when we got to the shed out back, one of the three foreigners who were there held a finger to his lips.

“At the eye of the storm, you know, there’s no wind – nothing moves – nothing breathes – even silence keeps silent. So hush now. Hush. There he is. You see him? You see him? Frederick Buechner, “The Magnificent Defeat”

Like the shepherds, may we never cease to be surprised that God has come to us; and may we never tire of sharing the good news!

Pastor Brian Coffey