I've Got Something To Say Series

I’VE GOT SOMETHING TO SAY!

Luke 2:8-20

S: Proclamation

C: The appropriate response to receiving the good news is to share it with others.

Th: Holy Responses to God

Pr: WE HAVE GOOD NEWS TO TELL!

KW: Narrative

PA: How is the change to be observed?

• Realize the good news is for you!

• Tell the good news!

Version: ESV

RMBC 05 December 04 AM

OUR STUDY:

The Shepherd:

(Come running in from the back…)

Hey, everybody!

Have you heard the good news?

The Messiah has been born!

Yes!

The Messiah!

The One we have been waiting for.

The One the prophets foretold.

I have just seen the baby in Bethlehem!

Wait a second…

Where am I?

I was just in Bethlehem telling people about the baby…

And Joseph and Mary…

And the angels…

How did I end up in Jerusalem?

I don’t get into Jerusalem very much.

We shepherds are not exactly welcome there, but this must be the temple.

There are grand columns…

A huge ceiling…

And look at the size of the people here!

You are huge!

You are one-half of a cubit higher than a normal Jewish citizen.

We are typically three cubits tall.

In fact, I am one of the taller ones, about three and one-quarter.

I don’t see what is so funny about that.

Perhaps this is not Jerusalem after all.

I am beginning to think you are descendants of Philistia.

I hope there are no giants in here.

Look at this man here.

What tremendous size.

You must be four cubits.

You are so big you remind me of Goliath.

Have you ever heard the story?

He didn’t come to such a good end.

I hope your end is better than his.

Believe me, I think it is much safer down here.

That reminds me of our greatest king.

Perhaps you have heard of him.

His name was David.

You know what I like about David?

He was a shepherd.

People nowadays forget that.

Times have changed…

Did you know that I am a shepherd?

Well, maybe that was obvious by now.

But you know, we shepherds…

We are different.

We are a different breed, that’s for sure.

In fact, we are not well respected.

Most of us are uneducated.

Sophisticated would never be a word that is used to describe us.

We don’t look that good.

You probably don’t want your daughter marrying one of us.

We are not sharp dressers.

And why bother?

Because we don’t smell that good either.

Well, you wouldn’t smell good if you spent all day with sheep.

Being a sheep herder is a lonely and boring job.

It is wearisome and tedious.

And you never get a day off.

The job is 24/7.

It may not appear to be hard work, but it is.

The sheep need constant attention.

We even stay with them at night, whether it is in the pen, or in the fields.

And we know each one.

We have a name for each one, so if one is missing, we figure it out.

Did you know that sheep are rather stupid?

Yes, they are not the smartest animals in the world.

You have to lead them around, because on their own, they can’t find grass and water.

And you can’t stay in one spot.

For they will stay in one place way too long and eat themselves sick.

There are several biological issues that go on there, but perhaps this is not the thing that you want to talk about here.

Sheep just don’t foresee danger.

The shepherd has to keep an eye out for predators – snakes, bears, and wolves – are all unwelcome.

And I have had to fight them all off.

I don’t mean to brag about it, but we are a different breed.

But there are some that are not all that crazy about us.

For…

We are outcasts.

I know it is hard to believe, but the religious establishment doesn’t think much of us.

We are pretty much religious outcasts.

It is really not our fault.

Like I said before, our job is 24/7.

We don’t get to participate in feasts and holy days.

We can’t leave the sheep.

So, we don’t tend to get too involved in spiritual kind of discussions.

But when comes right down to it, people just don’t like having us around.

We really don’t get a chance to develop relationships with anybody (except the sheep, of course).

We are constantly on the move.

We are wanderers and drifters, so to speak.

So this kind of lifestyle has made us social outcasts.

We are not considered trustworthy.

In fact, some of my brethren are considered a little shady, if you know what I mean.

So, as you can see, we are on the opposite end of the social strata than the beautiful people.