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READ: Luke 2:8
CHALLENGE: Experience the True Power of Christmas
We are about to celebrate God’s greatest gift, Jesus. He is truly the reason for the season. He is the universal and singular path to God, to eternal life, and to a fantastic life. Your connection with Christ profoundly enriches your life.
Let’s look at the story. I don’t think I’m stepping out on the flimsy end of a precarious limb when I say angels appearing to shepherds was a deliberate choice. God could have announced it to many other people but God chose to announce it to the shepherds.
In the first seven verses of Luke 2, you have the story of Joseph and Mary traveling to Bethlehem and there she has the baby, Jesus. The Savior of the world lands in a place where the animals are kept. He’s then gently set in a feeding trough for animals. The pure humility of this scene is astounding.
Next is the angelic announcement of his birth to the shepherds. They were living out in the fields with the sheep and it’s near to where Jesus was born. God’s desire to connect with mankind outside the avenues of religiosity or politics is spectacular. He takes the message straight to the ordinary person. May this reflect our heart as well.
- GOD IS FOR ALL PEOPLE
V8 – And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.
And when I say, God is for all people”, I say it because that’s what the angel says. It will bring great joy FOR ALL. I’m not saying that God is equally supportive of all people whether following Him or ignoring Him. I’m saying that we ALL NEED HIM. This story; this Christmas message is important and relevant for everybody. And no one is left outside of the incredible message of Christ’s birth. I don’t want any of you thinking, “It’s not for me”.
Why the shepherds? Maybe they were the only ones awake! However, I think there’s more to it.
- God is for the Sinners
The occupation of “shepherd” was not a high-end career choice. They were at the lower end of the social spectrum as they didn’t have much. I’ve read that the shepherds had bad reputations which I imagine was true as they were not allowed to testify in court. However, Jesus was known as the friend of the sinners; therefore, it would make sense that he would start that mission right from birth. The message goes where it’s most needed.
Never think that God won’t be interested in you because you have a past that is less than glowing. He does care. And never think that you’re so great that you’re above being a sinner either, because we all are! This announcement has relevance for all people.
- God is for The Humble
Part of the importance of the shepherds is that they aren’t important to the world. But they were important to God. They represent all the ordinary, regular, rank and file, everyday people. The crowd we used to call “lunch pail Joe”. You might feel invisible to the world, but you’re seen by God. Our Heavenly Father is not just about the rich and famous or top 1%. Jesus died for the sinners of the entire world including these humble shepherds.
Why be a shepherd, I wonder? Perhaps they had limited opportunities. They may be born into a family of shepherds that was generations deep. Maybe it was all they knew. Still, not a highly regarded group.
That’s interesting when you consider all the biblical greats who were shepherds. Abraham and the patriarchs tended animals. Moses spent 40 years in the role of tending sheep for his Father in Law, Jethro. Saul, Israel’s first king, was looking for lost animals when he was anointed king. David, before becoming king was a shepherd. And not only that, he would have been tending sheep in the same area where these shepherds were since he was from Bethlehem!
If you look at Egypt when Jacob and his family went to live in Egypt, shepherds were detestable. It was not an esteemed profession for them either. So, it’s amazing when you think about how much ordinary shepherds are part of the biblical story. Abraham would be the father of the Jewish nation – tended animals. The Patriarchs were all shepherds. They were normal nomadic people living out their existence via hard work and community. And God showed up in normal life and entrusted them with amazing privilege.
Despite the lowliness, even God was not afraid to identify as a shepherd. The LORD is my shepherd according to Psalm 23 and Jesus is the called the good shepherd. God doesn’t mind identifying with the hurting of our world. The humble. The downtrodden. Could we say, even the dysfunctional!
Your value, your impact, your interest in God’s eyes has nothing to do with what you have. He’s not impressed with wealth. He’s not impressed with fame. His eye is on you.
I wonder if the shepherds ever felt forgotten? You know – like maybe God had overlooked them. Not at all, He knew exactly where they were. So, any thoughts they had of potentially being forsaken were not true.
- God is for the Hard Workers
I love how it says that they were “living out in the fields nearby”. There is so much to think about here. Their job required them to live out in the fields in order to watch the sheep. It wasn’t a 9-5 job and so much in life isn’t. God’s work and life doesn’t fit neatly into a 9-5 box. Shepherding required you to be “all in”. They owned it – they lived out there. They did whatever it took.
This is like being a parent, there’s no end to it and it takes tremendous dedication. You’re all in.\
You really have to pour yourself into any of the things you want to accomplish in order to make a difference. It might not have been the highest job in the world but whatever it is you’re doing, do it with all your might.
Ecclesiastes 9:9-10 – Enjoy life with your wife, whom you love, all the days of this meaningless life that God has given you under the sun—all your meaningless days. For this is your lot in life and in your toilsome labor under the sun. 10 Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the realm of the dead, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom.
Today is your living day – so don’t be half-hearted. If you want to change your life – own it; live it. If you want your marriage to be better – own it.
As we ponder this story, I appreciate that God doesn’t just show up in church. He shows up in your working world too. This must be the case, right?
Ecclesiastes 2:24-25 – A person can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in their own toil. This too, I see, is from the hand of God, 25 for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment?
So, let’s not dismiss that God is for the everyday people doing normal things. He can be working in you shoveling a neighbor’s sidewalk just like He can be at a Bible study. God can work wherever and however He wants. On this night, it’s among shepherds, as they are working to do their job. There’s no stained glass here but there are people and where you find people, you find God working.
They were constantly present with the sheep and that’s a beautiful thing. Their presence was steady. Isn’t the presence of God with us, his sheep, a steady presence?
- God is for the Selfless
I love that they were keeping watch at night. Why were they watching over them? They were watching their sheep because there are predators. Because there are thieves. Because bad things would happen to sheep without the shepherds.
The sheep would not make it on their own. King David was also a shepherd in that same area – could have been the very same fields! That means that for hundreds of years that people had been watching sheep. And what was David’s testimony? He saved sheep from a bear and a lion. And hundreds of years later, you still have shepherds because the sheep still need them. A good shepherd was there to give his life for the sheep.
John 10:11-13 – “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. 13 The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.
Good shepherds aren’t in it for just a paycheck, they’re in it for the sheep. God is speaking to people who took care of the animals because on their own, the sheep wouldn’t make it. Could we say that Jesus, the good shepherd, came because we would not make it without Him?
B. JOY IS FOR ALL PEOPLE
V9 – An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 – But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.
The glory of the Lord shone all around them. This is a clear window of God revealing Himself and what does He say? It’s a positive message with encouraging words.
- Don’t Be Afraid
He deals with first things first. Don’t be afraid. These people were shaking in their boots so to speak. They were caught off guard and afraid of the unknown because the unknown is scary. What’s next on the horizon can be scary as well.
Don’t be afraid is a common message from God. Perhaps, before you can hear the next thing God wants to say, you need to settle down. When Peter feared, he sank in the waves. Fear is a problem so calm down! Is this a message we should still embrace today? Are you tormenting yourself with all the “what ifs”? Are you trying to cross bridges before you get to them? Trying to control things you don’t control?
Why don’t they have to be afraid? The reason they don’t have to be afraid is because of that good news that a Savior is born which means, among other things, that God is with us! This is always the reason in the Bible why you don’t have to be afraid. Name Him Immanuel which means, God with us!
- Embrace the Good News
The message is good news! This news in the Bible is focused on Jesus Christ. Jesus died for you. You can have a home in heaven through faith. Every sin can be completely erased and you can be free of any penalty and absolved from all guilt. The Bible says that you are just as if you had never done anything wrong in God’s eyes. What Jesus did on the cross is great news for us!
And it will bring great joy! Not just “joy” but GREAT joy! As we contemplate Christmas and the generosity of God and our opportunities to be generous, there is joy. I hope that this season produces incredible happiness within us. When I was a kid, you could always feel that sense of joy.
And this joy is for all people. This is not just for your religious friends. It’s not just for people who grew up in church. It includes even the worst of sinners because all means all! Fear is replaced with joy. The negative emotion of worry is replaced with happiness.
C. SALVATION IS FOR ALL PEOPLE
V11 – Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.
In the town of David a Savior has been born. Jesus is clearly a king but the emphasis here is a Savior. I wonder what they would have thought of the term? It’s qualified by the words, “Messiah” and “Lord”. He’s significant.
What does the word Savior mean? It means to rescue or deliver. Haven’t we all been bailed out from some dilemma? I’ve been pulled out of ditches and out of the mud. But sin – that’s a desperate hole.
This Savior from sin may be a little harder to comprehend because we haven’t seen the death we face. We don’t know what it would be like to be apart from God in eternity. If we were on the Titanic, we’d understand the importance of a lifeboat cause everyone without one died. If we were jumping out of a plane, we’d understand the importance of a parachute. In the cold, I understand the importance of a coat. When my battery is dead, I understand the importance of a jump. I get it. But you see the need. When our furnace died last year on the coldest week of the year, we understood our need for a new one. You felt it.
Is there a felt need for salvation? A felt need to turn to God? Do we see the devastation of wrong decisions? The collateral damage to our personal relationships and literal wall of divide between God’s purity and our sinfulness. Don’t allow the wealth and convenience of our world to blind us to spiritual plight. We all need this Savior!
When our dog used to role in disgusting stuff, you could not just let her in the house. Hey, come jump on the bed. You had to clean it off. One time Steve Arsulic shot a deer in our back field and gutted in there. A few days later, our dog found it as she loved the stench of that! They say a dog’s smell is 10,000x ours! I can’t imagine smelling that times 10,000. My head would explode! It was one of the worst experiences we ever had with a foul rotting smell. It had to be dealt with.
We have sinned and fallen short. Before we come into good standing with God, we have to deal with it. And actually, we don’t deal with it. Just like we washed off Cozette, God washes us off through Jesus Christ. He’s the Savior. The eraser. The detergent. We can’t do with without Him.
All fall short and all need a Savior.
D. FAVOR IS FOR ALL PEOPLE.
Vv12-15 – 12 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, 14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” 15 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.”
Praise goes to God. Peace comes to earth from God. And He has a great message for you today. My favor is resting on you! I wonder how this message strikes those who are suffering this time of year?
Joseph and Mary may have wondered why God didn’t save them a room? In the moment of despair, they wouldn’t have known that God was going to use it to reach shepherds. It had to be hard on the parents! Where is the peace and joy in this? Their hardship was the sign for the shepherds. God was working even in difficulty. Wow!
How beautiful is that? You’ll find the baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger. Would the shepherds have been allowed to barge into an inn? No, but it was exactly as God said and proof that this was the Savior. We don’t understand everything but we can understand that God has a plan and He’s working that out. He wants peace. He favors mankind.
They go to see. What would have been the point of the message if they didn’t move forward for the message? If they didn’t go and see. It’s the going and seeing that really brings the reality of the truth. That’s faith. Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened.
They found that it was true!
The news is not going to do you much good unless you respond to the news. Go and see. And what you’re find is that the Bible lays out reality.
16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger.
What they experienced was the truth. You follow God or you don’t. But if you do, what you’re going to find out is that there is salvation, peace, and joy. It doesn’t mean you’ll never have a problem but you will find help!
You see all the pain around you. You think of loss. Of sickness. Of dire circumstances. I don’t understand everything about the world but I know enough to come to God. I know He helps us. I know there is happiness in following God and helping other people. Even in pain, we find God.
I heard the bells on Christmas day Their old familiar carols play; In music sweet the tones repeat,
“There’s peace on earth, good will to men.”
I thought how, as the day had come, The belfries of all Christendom Had rolled along th’ unbroken song Of peace on earth, good will to men.
And in despair I bowed my head: “There is no peace on earth,” I said, “For hate is strong, and mocks the song Of peace on earth, good will to men.”
Then pealed the bells more loud and deep: “God is not dead, nor does He sleep, For Christ is here; His Spirit near. Brings peace on earth, good will to men.”
Every Christmas morning you have to unwrap the gift given. How about come to Christ. Perhaps it’s your time to unwrap this gift through believing. Let go and find the truth of God.