Luke 2: Three Things I Learned from the Shepherds (Part 1)

I decided to re-read the Luke 2 passage in the quietness of my office and pondered on the words.  There is just so much in this second chapter.  Facebook and Twitter do not hold a candle to all of the drama surrounding the conception and birth, the travel to Bethlehem, no Inn or place to stay, finding a manger, the visitors, the announcement surrounding the birth of our Lord.  The perfect time had arrived and Jesus was born in a small town in a little stable with a manger for a bed. Tiny pieces of a large puzzle combined for the most defining birth of mankind.  God had been silent for 400 years. No prophets, no messages. I’m sure the silence seemed deafening for those who faithfully served and worshiped God year after year after year.  We don’t know about many of those people but we know they exist because of the descriptions we have of the life of Joseph who would be Jesus’ earthly Dad, of Mary and her servant heart, of Elizabeth and Zechariah who would birth John, and Simeon and Anna who served in the temple and were awaiting the Christ child.  These were faithful followers of God in spite of the silence.

I didn’t realize I could learn so much from the lives of the shepherds. When you consider that they received the first and only angelic birth announcement made about Jesus we have to be touched and meditate on their lives, their response, and God’s purpose for sharing the most important fulfillment of his promise of a Savior that was made all the way back in Genesis. Here is the embodiment of the redemption of man, the One who would bridge the gap for fellowship with the Creator and who receives the news?….plain, obscure, smelly, messy shepherds living out in the fields.

One of the first things we learn is that God can and will interrupt a life that is dirty and mundane.  The shepherd guys were living out in the fields with their sheep.  That is dirty work.  Except for the occasional predator to deal with I would have to think was a pretty boring job and it was 24/7.  Their job was to move the sheep around to feeding grounds and keep count.  During harvest time they would have been hired by landowners who needed help to harvest their fields.  When these food sources got scarce they would move their herds to mountain pastures to feed.  This was not an easy life as they spent most of their time outside watching the herd no matter the weather.  They slept near their flocks to protect it from robbers or wild animals.  At night they gathered the sheep into “sheepfolds,” stone walls made by the shepherds or possible natural enclosures provided by caves.  They counted them each evening as they brought them into the fold and again in the morning as they lead them to pasture. 

Most of our lives are a little more adventurous than the shepherd guys although we can feel that our lives are mundane – we get up, get dressed, leave for work, deal with traffic, do our work, deal with traffic, come home, eat a meal, go to bed and do it again each week all year long.  Maybe we have small children and we feed, wash, clean, wipe, until we feel we can’t do it another day.  Possibly we are a caregiver and each day is long, sad and hard and exhaustion fills our soul.  Often we do have more opportunity to socialize and be around a variety of people, but the majority of us have plain, mundane, ordinary lives.  Our monotony is broken up sometimes by vacations or holidays, but not so with the shepherds. 

This particular night the sheep had been counted and put up for the night.  I would imagine that the guys took the quietness of the night to talk and exchange stories.  They were nearby Bethlehem so quite possibly they had family fairly close.  Maybe they discussed whose son would soon join them or how they might best market their sheep for the next festival when a sacrifice would be needed or begin preparations for sheering and contracting with a local seamstress for clothing.  Without the internet this was definitely a word of mouth operation.  They probably discussed the order of who would be on guard for the night as the others rested.

The silence was broken as an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them.   

And they were terrified.   

A normal, dark - yet star lit night was interrupted by the God of the Ages. 

This is a hold your breath and contemplate moment.  These guys are discussing sheep market prices and an angel appears.  Not only that – God’s glory engulfs and shines all around them.  I can hardly take that in.  There is no description of what this looks like exactly.  My mind pops back to Moses who asks to see God’s glory and he only sees God’s back, briefly. But here God’s glory shines around them.  They don’t shout hallelujah or amen or raise their hands – they are terrified. In that instant their lives are permanently altered. It is mind numbing.  I imagine they are immobile, trembling, scared and dazed.

The angel totally in tune with the fact that the shepherds are in the middle of a truly scary, unique and holy experience reassures them, “do not be afraid, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.”  These lowly, smelly, simple guys are being told to not be afraid and must process that they are receiving the best news in the entire world on a hillside with the sheep. 

Notice, as well, that the event didn’t unfold a few days ago, the angel tells them that Today – today in the town of David a Savior has been born to YOU. (That’s personal). He is Christ the Lord.  This was a personal message to the shepherds.  The world’s Messiah has been born to touch you – to change you – he is your Lord.  The angel tells them where to find their Savior – a small newborn, wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.  They might not have believed this simple message except for the fact that it WAS an angel and the glory or the Lord was swirling around them.  How do you even process that?

One of the first things we learn is that God can and will interrupt life that is dirty and mundane.  No matter where you are in life – on a huge adventure or just stuck in traffic, or changing diapers, or folding laundry, or trying to make ends meet on tips from waitressing, or you are disabled and unable to leave home, or the house is dirty, or…whatever your story is while life is dirty and mundane.... God still speaks to us today.  We don’t have angel visits or magnificent glory shining around us, but his Word about His Son, our Savior and Lord should still take our breath away.  There has been no other announcement to match this one, ever.  You know how they have baby reveal parties to let you know if the baby is a girl or a boy?  This one takes the cake.  Literally.  It’s a boy, the heavenly host announces his birth, and he’s the promised Messiah.  A reveal party for the shepherds.  Only God would choose to announce his reconciliation of mankind to himself to some of the most insignificant people on earth. 

Let him reveal his love to you this Christmas and every day.  Let him fill you with joy, peace, his indescribable presence. We see from the humble lives of the shepherds that God has a message, a new life, and an unalterable footprint to change anyone’s life and it's personal. We may not think that there is anything new to see, hear or learn - but that may be because we haven't taken the next steps that the shepherd's took.....as we watch the social media exchange of the shepherds go viral…..