A Christmas Presence - The Shepherds
Luke 2:8-20
December 23, 2007
Picture - show Nativity.
For the last four weeks we’ve talked together about God’s desire to have particular people present at the birth of His son. God sent out birth announcements to particular people - specifically inviting them to come and see.
Come and Adore the Christ-Child
3 weeks ago we said - God invited the wild prophet John the Baptist to be there. This "say it like he saw it" kind of guy was invited to affirm Jesus’ birth.
A week later we talked about the teenage Girl named Mary.
Last week we looked at the Magi - these religious seekers. These non-Jewish people who came and adored the Child.
And today we will look at the shepherds.
It is quite a rag-tag group when you think about it isn’t it? Had you taken a group picture of these people - I’m not sure you would choose to pass it out.
And yet God wanted each of them there-
Specifically led them there to Bethlehem
Through angels
Stars
Visions
And other signs.
God was determined.
It has been my prayer that each of us would be able to identify with each of these 4 and in doing so realize that you are invited.
You have been invited to come and see.
Come and celebrate this baby.
You don’t need to have him figured out.
You don’t need to know all the right answers.
You are invited to simply come to be present-to be a presence.
Wild ones like John.
Faithful ones like Mary.
Seeking like the Magi.
Outsiders like the Shepherds are welcome.
There is room for each of us at the manager.
What I want to do this morning is to read our text from Luke 2:8-20, page 1591 and then make 4 observations about it.
In contrast to the Magi/the Wisemen who were given a star to guide them from their homes in the east to Bethlehem, the shepherds were only give a description of what the baby would look like when they found him.
In contrast to the Magi who according to Matthew were given "the star (going) ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was." (Matthew 2:9) the Shepherds were simply told - "This will be your sign" - v. 12 - "You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."
Where the Magi were led to the baby, the shepherds had to look for him.
Where the Magi were given a beaming light in the sky to follow - the shepherds had to go and find the baby.
Now each of groups ended up with Jesus.
Each group made it there.
But-how they got there was different.
I kind of equate the Magi’s method of following the star, keeping one’s eyes on the bright light in the sky to how most women get to a new destination. They are willing to take, follow, write down and be obedient to directions.
Tell a lady about a cool store, park, zoo or coffee shop and they’ll ask you for a phone #, street address, directions, hours of operation - landmarks around it. Where to park, color of the building, estimated travel time.
Tell a man about that same place and they reply - "I’ll find it." "But you don’t know what it’s called, Where it is - if it is in Mount Vernon, Burlington, Sedro-Woolley, Seattle or Canada." "It doesn’t matter." he’ll say - "I’ll find it." Why? Because men are like shepherds. "Yep, we’ll get there. We know where we are seeking to end up, but the way we’ll get there - that’s mine to decide."
The Magi were led.
The shepherd’s had to find the baby Jesus.
Many church people are like the Magi. For people like myself who have gone to church since their infancy, we more or less were led to the baby Jesus by
Our parents.
Our Sunday School teachers.
Our Children’s Church teachers.
Through the Vacation Bible School each year.
Through the Spring Musical
The children’s choir.
Youth group.
Confirmation.
These were our stars shining in our lives at nearly every age.
We were drug to all these things that were signposts along the way helping us to embrace the faith of our fathers and mothers. And we dutifully went. And most of the time became Christians and are now doing the church thing with our own kids. We’re Magi, we know the way, are led along the way and end up worshipping Jesus.
For those of you not raised in the church, the way you got to Jesus or the way you are making your way to him now is like the shepherds - you know he is out there but you are
Searching
Seeking
Looking for him.
You are asking your questions.
Watching we Christians - trying to figure out for yourself is this Jesus is worth finding.
Your approach is more shepherd like. You are trying to find this Jesus. And I say to you - keep searching, keep seeking, keep knocking on doors - because as Jesus himself said, "Seek and you will find. Knock and the door will be opened to you. For whoever asks receives, whoever seeks find, whoever knocks the door will be opened." (Matthew 7:7, 8)
It matters not the way one gets to Jesus. What matters is that we are on our way. Our God desires all to come and adore him. To be a presence around his Son.
You can come as the Magi did - led along the way
Or as
The shepherds did - seeking out baby Jesus.
Observation #2
Luke is the writer who gives us the most complete background on the birth of Jesus. Perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised, he was a doctor. Doctors need to be good with facts and getting the information accurately.
So in chapter 1 of Luke where the beginning of Jesus’ birth begins - Luke immediately gives us facts. He tells us when - chapter 1, verse 5,
In the time of Herod king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah, his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron.
It’s the facts. He is getting the family history information.
A few verses later in verse 13 - an angel - name Gabriel tells Zechariah that he and Elizabeth will have a son and they are to name him John.
Skip down to verse 26 - Luke writes with the same kind of style.
When? "In the sixth month God sent Gabriel to Nazareth in Galilee to a virgin pledged to be married to Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgins named was Mary"
Like with Zechariah, an angel named Gabriel appears and tells Mary that she too will be with a child,
A boy.
And she is to name him Jesus.
Skip down to chapter 2 - Dr. Luke is at it again.
He’s specific - v. 1.
In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree.
Verse 4 - Joseph went from Nazareth in Galilee to Judea to Bethlehem the town of David.
Chapters 1 and 2 are full of facts and names.
Names of people.
Places.
Towns
Rulers.
Dates.
Luke gets the specifics.
He gets the details.
He’s a doctor.
And yet when it comes to the text about the Shepherds - our text verses 8-20, everything changes.
Verse 8 - "There were some shepherds" - who?
Which ones?
What were their names?
How many?
Doctor Luke, we’re missing some information here. These shepherds were “living out in the fields "nearby." - "Nearby?" Luke just a chapter ago you told us places like Nazareth in Galilee and now you simply write "nearby"?
Verse 9 tells us an angel appeared, but unlike the previous texts - the name of the angel isn’t mentioned.
Something has changed here.
Doctor Luke put the un-named in with the Named.
He put the anonymous ones in with the Known Ones.
Zechariah, Elizabeth and John the Baptist, Joseph, Mary and Jesus, we can’t be like them. They model for us a life of righteousness but me a Joseph? Me a John? You - an Elizabeth? No way - we are like the shepherds - unknown, anonymous ones living in and around Clear Lake - "where was that again.? Where do you live?" "Clear Lake, it’s near Mount Vernon."
Among the recognized - God invites - makes a point to invite the common person. Among the Priest Zechariah and his wife with a great Priestly gene pool Elizabeth - among righteous and unforgettable Mary and her husband of fine character Joseph came the shepherds.
Why did God send the angel to them and not to the movers and shakers, the leading teachers, priests, scribes? Why didn’t God contact Caesar Augustus himself?
Because God has a special place - a preference for those who find themselves not in the city among the known - but instead "living out in the fields nearby." (2:8)
The shepherd - I remind you were the first people to know of Jesus’ birth. God made a point to make sure they were invited to this birthday party.
And here is something else strange about this. Apart from the Wisemen and Simeon and Anna the shepherds were the only ones to really know about this Jesus for nearly 30 years.
Our God makes a point to make sure we normal anonymous - regular people are invited to be a presence at the birthing of His Son.
If you find yourself lonely.
Wonder if you’ve been forgotten.
If the other people in your life seem to be the ones being recognized and noticed - not to worry. In the Christmas Story is this beautiful reminder - you’ve been invited specifically chose to come and see Jesus.
A third observation. Notice what these anonymous, unknown shepherds do in response to the angels words.
Verse 15, "When the angels had left them and gone into heaven the shepherds said to one another." Let’s go. Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has told us about.” verse 16, so they hurried off.”
Now I don’t want to judge Mary - Jesus’ mother, nor Zechariah, John the Baptist’s dad, but when they were approached by the angel Gabriel, Mary had a question. "How?" and Zechariah had a question as well - infact the angel tells us that "Zechariah didn’t believe the words of the angel." (Luke 1:20)
But the shepherds did none of that. They said, "Let’s go." "They hurried."
They run. They ran with haste from the fields to find their Savior.
From their labor to their Lord.
From the toil and daily chores to Bethlehem.
From their isolated.
Alone.
Forgettable.
Ridiculed status to being one of the few ever able to see Jesus as a baby.
They went.
They didn’t clean themselves up.
They didn’t change their clothes.
They didn’t let fear, insecurities or any sense of unworthiness stop them - they went.
It was God’s grace that had invited them and accepted them - they hadn’t worked for this privilege.
They hadn’t earned this opportunity.
It was in God’ grace.
They went - they hurried bringing not gold, incense, or myrrh but themselves. They presented themselves as Presents before this newborn King.
The holiday season can be a season of feeling incredibly inadequate and incapable.
There are numerous ways we beat ourselves up. We measure ourselves against others and end up beating ourselves up.
Their Christmas Cards were nicer than ours.
Their kids cuter, cleaner, having nicer clothes.
Their past year filled with more memorable highlights.
Their Christmas Tree - it’s nicer than ours. It’s larger or smaller.
Their lights are brighter. Decorations better.
Presents - they have more presents.
Nicer presents.
Bigger presents.
Food - they have a feast - we have a meal.
Friends and Family - they have them and we don’t.
When we do this and each of us do this to one degree or another, we end up disqualifying ourselves from Christmas. We enter not into this story. We refuse God’s invitation to come as we are.
God doesn’t intend for us to think this way about ourselves. Shepherds were invited and like the shepherds let us go, hurry - not asking am I good enough? That’s no concern, God wants you.
God wanted those shepherds, he wants you.
One final observation, the shepherds didn’t stay long. Verse 17 reads, "When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child . . . Verse 20, "the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen."
Perhaps it was because they were men, they were a bit squeamish around an infant child or perhaps they were worried about their sheep. Whatever their reason, Doctor Luke tells us they saw the infant and then began to spread the word. They couldn’t contain themselves.
These were shepherds, hours before they had been in the nearby fields, their minds thinking about sheep between their daydreams. They were on the fringe of society but now after seeing Jesus they became proclaimers
Mouthpieces.
Evangelists.
Spokesmen for Jesus.
They spread the word.
They got the word out.
They couldn’t contain themselves.
Friends in this Christmas season, let us not forget to tell, to get the word out about Jesus. For those of us who know him, let us spread the word.
Jake Bidwell did earlier this month. One of his classmates had no idea about the real meaning of Christmas. Jake told him.
Let each of us do the same.
Those are my 4 observations or the shepherds,
They had to find Jesus and they went and found him.
They were unknown among the known.
They hurried and went and didn’t ask questions.
And then they went and told, got the word out.
As I bring this series to a close, it is necessary, appropriate and fitting to ask each of you, will you yourself be a presence for baby Jesus? At Christmas, Jesus comes to us - will you receive him?
Have you ever let him in?
To come to dwell
To come to live within you?
Now is the time. Now is the time. The Bible states while we were sinners, Christ died for you and me.
That the wage/the outcome of sin is death but God offers us a gift - the gift of Jesus Christ.
For those who receive and believe in his name - they become God’s children and are promised eternal life.
Have you ever invited him in?
Do it now - let’s pray.
