Rev. Richard P. Smith
And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night (Luke2:8). Thus begins one of the most familiar parts of the Biblical Christmas story. Shepherds out in the fields watching over their sheep. An angel of the Lord appears and tells them that the Messiah child has been born in Bethlehem. A heavenly chorus sings and lights up the sky with its brilliance. The shepherds rush to Bethlehem to see this Messiah child. They visit Mary, Joseph, and the baby and then leave praising God and telling others what they had heard and seen.
This special story has some significant truths to offer.
God Invites The Shepherds To The Manger
You have to understand the reputation shepherds had in that day to appreciate how special God inviting the shepherds to see the Christ child really is. They were at the bottom rung of the social status ladder. They were uneducated hirelings and were part of a disrespected social class known as “people of the land.” They were clearly looked down upon by most of society.
There is a keen spiritual lesson here. God invites whom we often ignore.
God’s invitation to the shepherds reminds you and me to see all persons as children of God; to be open to all persons; to exude hospitality, warmth, and kindness to all whom we encounter.
The Angel Tells Them Not To Be Afraid
Can we Christians honestly say to our struggling world at large, given all the serious and even deadly issues, “Do not fear”? Well, we have to understand what we’re saying and what we’re not saying. We’re not saying that life isn’t full of frightening and harrowing moments. We’re not saying that life won’t disrupt our comfort and our tranquility. We’re not saying that we are immune from the vicissitudes of life. The “heartbreak” about which I spoke Monday confirms this.
We’re also not saying that evil will never break into our world and shake the foundations of our faith and our trust.
What we are saying is that God is present; that God is at work; that God will make a difference. We aren’t alone in the struggles!! Emmanuel…God with us!!
The Shepherds Rush To See The Jesus Child
Luke’s text tells that after the heavenly hosts have left, the shepherds say to one another, Let us to go Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about. They then “hurried off” to see the Messiah child. The actions of these shepherds – rushing to see Jesus — causes you and me to ask ourselves whether we are energetically, diligently, passionately seeking to connect to Jesus; his life and his teachings.
We talk a lot this season about coming to the manager to meet the Christ, but we need to understand that this is more than just ritual and liturgy; it’s a question of where our heart is and how passionate we are to let Jesus be the focus of our seeking.
The Shepherds Return Glorifying And Praising God
After visiting Mary, Joseph, and the baby the shepherds returned, according to Luke, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told. Now keep in mind that these shepherds are returning to their dreary life just as it was. Yes, they’ve seen the Messiah child but they’re still returning as outcasts; they’re still reviled by the average Palestinian; they’re still treated as spiritually unclean and unworthy; they’re still working for subsistence only; they’re still rejected and ignored. Yet, they can glorify and praise God.
What the shepherds remind us as they return to their dreary world glorifying and praising God is that we can count our blessings even as we face challenging burdens. Each of us can see the goodness of life, the gifts of life, even as we struggle with some of life’s circumstances.
