The grand, majestic angel choir had announced the Savior’s
arrival, nothing was more grand, more significant or divine than the actual
birth. God with Us. Immanuel.
The Messiah. The Promised One of Israel.
The Name Above All Names had come at last.
Mary and Joseph, unaware of the demonstration of praise by
the heavenly host to the Shepherds out in the fields beyond Bethlehem were muffled by Mary going into labor, finding the manger and giving
birth. Mary was young and inexperienced.
Her Aunt Elizabeth may have helped prepare her for this very event. She would have to completely trust her
husband and God for his arrival. Her level of trust is seen as she left for
Bethlehem heavy with child.
The Shepherds left the field that night in search of the
tiny baby and the Scriptures say that they found him. Maybe it didn’t take too much inquiry to
locate the woman and man who had traveled to be registered in Bethlehem, very
obviously pregnant. Expectantly they crowded
around the manager and found the baby, just as the angel had said. In their
excitement and joy they told every one of the events of the night. I’m sure Mary and Joseph were stunned when a
group of smelly shepherds arrived to see this baby and marvel at his
birth. It says Mary pondered the words
of the shepherds in her heart. Don’t you
think that when the guys ran all over Bethlehem sharing this amazing news that
others came by to see him? We don’t know
how many people came by to see this little baby and his parents after the
shepherds shared the news. Hopefully
some nice neighbors brought in extra diapers and some meals to help out the
young couple and God’s own son.
Luke 2:9 says that “the shepherds returned.” After confirming all that the angel had told
them and witnessing the spectacular heavenly choir the shepherds went back to
work. They had work to do, day in and
day out guarding and herding the sheep to food and water, ensuring their safety
and the twice daily chore of counting. The events of the past several days had
certainly been overwhelming – they had seen and heard with their own eyes and
ears the glory of God. Faithful men to
their tasks they returned to life and the usual mundane tasks that lay before
them.
The third thing I learned from the shepherds is that as
they returned to their normal life they returned, “glorifying and praising God.” They had learned the secret that had been
withheld in the Old Testament; they were the first witnesses of the gospel,
they had seen God’s son, beheld his glory, and shared the great event with
others and they got back to work – but worked joyfully praising God knowing of his
great provision of Salvation for mankind – peace on earth to men.
As believers we walk this earth with the same secret, we are
witnesses of the gospel, we know God’s Son and in this knowing we behold his
glory in a unique way – believing without seeing and we have the greatest
opportunity that has ever existed to share salvation with the masses. Yet despite this great opportunity it seems
normal life keeps us from glorifying and praising God. We live unhappy, burdened lives. We keep to
ourselves and rarely reach out to others with good news of great joy. We keep to our inner circle daring others to
invade our comfy space.
God first shared his message of hope with quiet, unassuming,
boring, shepherds and they immediately turned into bold, excited jubilant
heralders of faith – their lives changed forever.
I have wondered if any of these shepherds were still alive
when Jesus began his public ministry. I
like to think they were. I think Mary
shared with Jesus their arrival when he was born and the events that surrounded
his birth. I think he held a special
place in his heart for the shepherds and used them regularly in his parables
and equates those who watch over God’s flock here on earth as shepherds. Maybe he had these guys in mind in his stories, especially the one that paints of portrait of God who leaves the 99 to go find the 1 who went astray.
The Christmas season, the celebration of the birth of Jesus
means different things to different people. There are mounds of sentiment and
tradition, joyful memories and sad memories.
The month may not get by without a good cry or two over those who have
passed away and are no longer with us, or the happiness of seeing a loved one
we’ve been apart from too long.
The simple shepherds, however, have shown us the true
meaning of the season:
Life is dirty and mundane. Isn’t it?
This time of year is broken up into gift shopping and decorating, but
normal stuff just keeps happening. Wash
the dishes, pay the bills, drive to work, do the laundry, throw in some extra
baking, count the sheep….day to day life rolls on. Folding clothes, putting away the socks,
vacuuming the floor – it all blurs into the dirty and mundane.
They sought him immediately and didn’t keep silent about
God’s message. If we will seek God in the middle of the mundane he will not
be silent. Remember, God had been quiet
for 400 years, but the hearts of the faithful anticipated his coming, his voice
would sound out again. The shepherds
responded with urgency to the message of hope.
Here was HOPE! Here was PEACE! God was real, he was big, he was magnificent,
he was MORE than they ever imagined. If we anticipate him working in our lives,
he is faithful to turn our day, our very lives upside down. Look for his divine appointments every day –
make room in your heart for him to do something wonderful in the middle of the
mundane. He may place a person who needs
a kind word behind you in the grocery line. Maybe you need to take an extra few
cookies to the lonely neighbor next door or surprise them by bringing their
trash can back to the side of the house after pick up day. Share the message of hope and peace and
salvation with those around you, don’t be shy, share the joy you have with
others just as the shepherds shared. This side of the cross we have the
greatest news anyone could hear.
They returned to the mundane and dirty, yet they glorified
and praised God. Yes, back to the
normal stuff. After they were used of
God to share the good news of the birth of his Son, they went back to work, but
they were able to glorify and praise God for all he had done and would continue
to do. It is in the praising and the glorifying and the worshiping that he
fills our hearts and minds and it makes all the little tasks worthwhile.
Praising him enables him to fill those empty spaces, to take away the darkness,
it allows us to be responsive to him.
It is easy to be weighed down by the clutter of life; the
chores to do and our tasks can crowd out the majesty of the Holy One. Jesus joined the mass of humanity in the most
humble of circumstances, his birth announcement was proclaimed to dirty shepherds
on hill while they counted sheep. As you
celebrate the wonder of His birth, celebrate also your re-birth into eternal
life that he provided by his life, death and resurrection and ascension.
Receive his gift of love with awe and humility.
Share THIS gift with others.
The Shepherds got it right.
They understood the message and they understood their role. It was a simple one, yet they made it into
the pages of Scripture for everyone to read, so we too can share God’s message:
Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.
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| Photo Courtesy of Paul Oberlander |
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