22 Dec, 2019
Jesus is announced through the eyes of a Shepherd. Sheep are dumb. Shepherd’s care for sheep. Some people during Jesus time thought shepherds were dumb, too.
The night of Jesus birth shepherds open our eyes to something special. The shepherds saw something that no one else saw. God’s hope comes to nobodies.
When the angels appeared to them and sang an announcement of Jesus’ coming it blew the shepherds’ minds. It was a holy encounter. In that encounter the shepherds realized how unholy they were.
Scared before God, the shepherds are a window into our standing. The holiness they saw was terrifying. This is our story before God moved to join us on earth, what we celebrate in Christmas.
We know good and evil. Every one of us. And we know we do not always pursue good. Still, in this situation, God comes through an announcement that is a different story. Good news is here. There is a baby born for us today.
What does this mean? The shepherds couldn’t figure it out. They had a hard time dismissing the holiness of the angels before them. And in this, the angels start singing.
The angels song for the shepherds is a song sung for us. They sang to us. The sang of what Jesus came to do. Provide peace on earth, good will towards men, from God himself.
Then, the shepherds rolled into town. They finally arrived at the stable. All the animals were staring at the manger, enamored by peace, the Prince of Peace.
God chose these ordinary simple shepherds. They were poor, and yet they amaze the rich. They held no standing, yet they blow the minds of the powerful. The message of Jesus birth coming first to shepherds goes against the status quo. God comes to us.
Shepherds, poor, lonely, and broken. They were the first to bow and worship the God-child, Jesus. The one who came to save those without hope. God loves us that much, he comes to those with nothing, those full of shame and brokenness. God came to those in sorrow, making a new way for hope, and he invites us to announce his arrival.
Have you met him? Has he met you? Have you worshiped? Have you shared Him?
We give thank to God, for the body of a tiny baby, live and breath in a tiny rib cage. Immanuel, God with us a promise of salvation.
We give thanks for loving parents, for the light of a star, for the radiance of angels, for the running feet of shepherds, for all the joy of that first Christmas. We thank God for this season, a season of celebration of salvation through the person of Jesus Christ.
