THE SHEPHERDS’ STORY
(Luke 2:8-14)
"And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. 10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”
Luke 2:8-14, ESV
You and I are so familiar with this Christmas story that if we are honest with ourselves, we might even admit we are sometimes too familiar with it. Not in the sense that familiarity breeds contempt, but that the story may not fascinate us quite as much as it once did. Each year at Christmas we listen again to what the angels said to the shepherds. We often hear it in sermons on Sunday morning. Children repeat the angelic announcement in annual Christmas plays. More than one generation has grown up hearing the angel’s words recited by Linus in the Charlie Brown’s Christmas play. Christmas cards not only print the words, they also have accompanying artwork. It is no exaggeration to say that many Christians may suffer from overexposure to the story. We can become too familiar with it.
Overexposure leads to misinformation and a lack of appreciation for what real shepherds were like in biblical times. We take it for granted that our nativity characters correspond quite well to those shepherds watching their flocks by night. At best, our minds eye duplicates what we see on Christmas cards. For others, our image of biblical shepherds is hopelessly shaped by watching elementary school aged boys dressed in homemade shepherds’ robes and wearing flipflop sandals while holding rods made of broomsticks and aluminum foil. Our mental images of biblical shepherds could stand for some modification.
What would it be like if you and I were to step back in time, hike through Bethlehem’s hills some chilly night, and stumble across these men who heard the angel herald? Suddenly, our mental portraits come alive with flesh and living color. We encounter real men with real faces, real voices, real families, and real needs. They are not like our Christmas cards at all. What if we were to talk with them about what it means to be a shepherd? What would they tell us that we thought we already knew? What would we learn about shepherds from real shepherds?
More importantly, what if we were able to talk to them about their encounter with heaven’s angelic host? We could ask them what it meant to each of them personally when they heard directly from heaven about the birth of Jesus Christ. We could ask them, “What permanent impact did talking with flaming angels and hearing a choir of thousands of angels singing ‘glory to God in the highest’ have on you?”
We know some of the things these men did. Actually, we know several things they did. Luke’s gospel tells us these men had been filled with fear. But that fear vanished. We also know they ran to find the birthplace of the Savior, Christ the Lord. The shepherds visited Jesus, Mary, and Joseph and told the babe’s parents about the angels in the hills. As they returned to their sheep, the shepherds’ excitement was uncontainable. It knew no bounds. We read, “And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.” We know some of what the shepherds did.
The question I want to address with today’s message is on the other side of the coin, though. That question is this: “What did this event do to them?” If we know some of what the shepherds did, can we know what happened to them? What did the dazzling angelic announcement of the birth of Jesus Christ do to the very first people that heard about that birth? But the question goes deeper. If we get a clear picture of what the announcement meant to these men, we can learn something important about ourselves. What does God’s announcement to the shepherds teach us about us and our relationship with him? I can think of a lot of things, but let me begin with something very basic.
GOD CARES FOR YOU AS A PERSON
God cares about us as persons. God cares for you as an individual. That means you and I are very important to God because of who we are. That’s so simple, it almost seems silly to say it that way; but God really does care for us as persons.
If we had been shepherds in the hills of Bethlehem, that would have come as a big surprise because no one else outside our immediate circle would have cared for us because of who we are. Just the opposite would have been true. Because of who we are, shepherds caring for sheep, we would have been near the bottom of everyone else’s list of important people. Shepherds were in many ways outcasts and wouldn’t be invited to many parties.
You certainly wouldn’t want your daughter to marry one, unless, of course, that’s what you did for a living as her father. Even then, you would want to know the size of the flock. If you were a shepherd, you certainly would not hold any political office or leadership position within the community. If you wanted to entrust someone with a message, you would choose almost anyone else in town other than a shepherd to carry that message for you.
God looks at shepherds differently. He values them as persons. He could have chosen royalty to bear the message of the birth of his Son. If not royalty, he could have assigned the responsibility to the religious leaders. After all, they handled the spiritual matters of the people. They were the ones steeped in Scripture.
But God didn’t do that. He chose shepherds, outcasts, people at the bottom of the social ladder, to be the first to hear the gospel message. It probably didn’t make sense to royalty or religious leaders. But he did it anyway, because he looks at shepherds differently. He values them as persons.
The same is true of you and me. He cares for us as persons. It doesn’t get any more basic than that. Each and every one of us, from the oldest to the youngest, male or female, married or single, rich or poor, black or white, Hispanic or anglo, caucazoid or “ornamental,” it doesn’t matter—we are important to God. So, the first thing we discover about ourselves when we reflect on the shepherds’ experience is that we are very important to God for who we are.
(Not only does God care very much about us as persons, we learn from these shepherds that . . .)
YOUR LIFE IS IMPORTANT TO GOD
Our lives are also very important to God. What we do has value not just to us, but to our heavenly Father. My friends, your life counts to God. What you are doing in life has value in his eyes. This world would not be the same without you. No one can replace you, not even in God’s eyes. That’s how important your life is to God.
That’s not always an easy notion to buy into. Making a comment like that stick takes a special kind of “super glue.” You ask yourself, “How is it possible that what I do in life matters to God?” When you compare what you do in life with what someone else might do, the grass could look a little greener on the other side of the fence. It’s not; it just looks that way. Your grass is a perfect shade of green, designed and manicured particularly for you.
However, when you think about your job, you realize that you do the same thing day in and day out. You put in your 40 hours a week, and look forward to your two-week vacation. You get your paycheck, look at the stub, and wonder (as the songstress Peggy Lee once sang), “Is that all there is?” Some people look back on their lives and ask the same question, “Is that all there is?” Earlier than you ever thought possible, you even begin to think about what you would do if you could retire. You have little or no variety. You wonder, does anything of what I do really matter to anyone?
Perhaps you clean your house, do the laundry, fix meals, go to a Bible study or two during the week. But you do it week after week, most of the year, but year after year. Your husband appreciates it, but your kids rarely notice it (until later in life!). As far as they are concerned, you just do what moms do. Does it really matter? You look at women who work outside the home and marvel at all the variety they get to enjoy. On other hand, at least you can go shopping during the day; and they have to do it at night or on the weekends. But the question remains, “Is being a homemaker important to God?” Sometimes it’s just not an easy notion to buy into.
If you think you have a monotonous routine, imagine what it would have been like to be a shepherd in those days. You and I might count sheep to go to sleep, but shepherds count sheep to stay awake. If you’ve seen one sheep, you’ve seen them all.
Just because dogs and (on rare occasion) some cats have adorable personalities, it doesn’t mean sheep do. At least you can teach your dog tricks. Have you ever tried to teach sheep tricks? Forget about it. We all know sheep are dumb. You won’t see a sheep retrieving frisbees. They certainly won’t roll over or play dead. The closest they come to anything like a trick is that they will heel. They will follow you–everywhere! For most of us, the only really good things about sheep are Pendleton shirts, barbecued lamb chops, or a leg of lamb!
How exciting can a sheep’s life get? Anytime anything exciting at all happens with your sheep, it’s usually bad. Sheep don’t do exciting things, unless, of course, they get lost. Sheep get into trouble. Then you have to leave the rest of the sheep and spend valuable time looking for one dumb lost sheep. You are always glad to find them, but you could do without this kind of excitement. When they are not straying off, you have to think about predators. That’s variety, and that could be exciting, warding off wolves or bears or lions. Anytime anything exciting happens with sheep, it’s usually bad news. Oh, then there’s the bleating! Have you ever heard sheep bleat in four part harmony? Do ewes bleat as sopranos and altos and rams as basses and tenors? That would be somewhat entertaining. Otherwise, it’s the same old monotony. Baa, baa, baa. Sheep are boring. Yuk!
And this monotony is 24/7, 365 days a year. Every night, every day. Good weather and bad. What could be less important in life than grazing sheep from the time you are an adolescent until you are too old to walk? It’s important to God, that’s what. God’s eyes searched to and fro across the middle eastern landscape on that first Christmas Eve to find one group of men to share his good news with, and he zeroed in on shepherds. The shepherds’ story reminds us that their lives were very important to him. He cared about what they did in life.
Do you remember Bubba Smith? He was one of the greatest football players ever to play in the NFL. He once commented that his tactic as a defensive lineman was to tackle the whole offensive backfield and then toss out players one by one until he found the one with the football.
After he retired from playing football, Bubba Smith started making beer commercials. He was the guy who tore the top off of beer cans, and engaged in the argument about whether it is less filling or tastes great. You remember him now, don’t you?
In a magazine article about him, Bubba Smith said that he has never, ever drunk beer. Drinking any kind of alcoholic beverage just isn’t a part of his life. But he advertised it and felt good about his job. It was an easy job. It was an enjoyable job, and it paid a good salary.
Until one day when he went back to Michigan State, his alma mater, as the Grand Marshal of the Homecoming Parade. As he was riding in the limousine at the head of the parade, he heard the throngs of people on both sides of the parade route shouting. And what were they shouting? "Hail to Michigan State?" No! One side was shouting, "Tastes great!" and the other side was shouting, "Less filling!"
Bubba Smith suddenly realized that he and the beer commercials that he made had had a tremendous impact on the students at Michigan State. And the message that they had gotten was that "It is all right to drink light beer."
Later, Bubba was in Ft. Lauderdale during Spring Break, and he saw drunken college kids up and down the beaches, shouting "Tastes great! Less filling!"
And when it came time to renew his contract, he refused to sign because he said that he didn’t want his life to count for something like that. He said that there was a still, small voice in his mind that kept saying, "Stop, Bubba. Stop." Bubba Smith wanted his life to count.
Your life is important to God, too. He gave it to you. He placed you where you are. He gave you the skills to do what you do. No matter who you are, you touch other lives. You can own your own business, you can work for someone else. You can be a stay-at-home mom, or you can have a career outside the home. You can be involved in ministry in the church, or you can have your ministry on the fourth floor of a downtown business building. You can be a farmer, or you can work for a farmer. You can be a teacher, or you can be a student. You might be a nurse or a doctor, a law enforcement officer or a fireman. You might be just starting out in your career, or you might be retired. You may be just starting life. You may be wrapping it up. I don’t care what it is, your life is important to God.
(We are important to God for who we are, and our lives are important to him.)
GOD CARES ABOUT YOUR FAITH
He also cares about your faith. Your faith is important to God. What we believe and how we believe, both are very important to him.
Sometimes, we tend to take that for granted. We figure, at least we are believers who have trusted Christ for salvation. We notice how godless our society has become and realize that we are becoming a rare breed. Not everyone believes in God anymore. People that believe in Jesus Christ are becoming more and more on the fringe of society. While God may see our faith as important, very few people care about our faith.
Few people cared about the shepherds’ faith. In fact, because of their profession, they weren’t permitted to participate in much of the religious festivities of society. If they were permitted to be a part of a synagogue service at all, no one would care about what they might have to say. It was the custom to have someone from the congregation stand up and read from Scripture, but no shepherd would dream of that opportunity. Because of his profession, only a fool would let a shepherd even touch a holy scroll. The thought that a shepherd would even be literate wouldn’t occur to a priest or rabbi.
Surprise of surprises! When it came to entrusting the greatest news ever heard for someone to deliver, God chose the shepherds, not religious leaders or politicians. Of course the shepherds were filled with fear. But did you notice how quickly that fear turned to trust? All the angel had to say was, “Stop being afraid”; and they weren’t afraid. Then he said the greatest of all possible things. He said, “For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior who is Christ the Lord.” And they immediately believed it.
What would have happened had the angel said those same things to the priests or rabbis? They would have consulted with each other, that’s what. They would have investigated the matter to make sure it wasn’t a trick. They may have been tempted to verify the credentials of the angels. They would have investigated the angels denominational affiliation. They obviously would have checked Scriptures to make sure the time and place were right. Bethlehem? That’s almost like saying, “Bakersfield?” They would have probed into Joseph and Mary’s background. I can only imagine their reaction to hearing that Mary was a virgin. Yeah, right! Knowing what I know about the priests and rabbis of Bible times (and what I know of many contemporary preachers!), I’m sure they would have thought very carefully about the consequences of broadcasting something so shocking as the birth of a newborn king.
The shepherds weren’t like that. They were different. The angel said, “Stop fearing”; and their fear disappeared. The angel said, “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord”; and they believed it. They may have been much like the old bumper sticker that says, “God said it, I believe it; and that settles it.” They would change the bumper sticker, though. They would have said (as you and I should say), “God said it, and that settles it.” The shepherds were different because of their faith, and God cared about that faith.
God cares about your faith. What you believe and how you believe it are important to him. Who you are is important. What you do is important. But how and what you believe is very important.
Your faith is important to God because you have trusted in the finished work of Jesus Christ for your salvation. You have taken God at his word and know that you cannot earn your salvation. The Bible says, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved (Acts 16:31).” You believe in Christ and you are saved. The Bible says, “There is no other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved (Acts 4:12).” You believe in Jesus Christ as the only way of salvation, and you are saved. The Bible says, “For by grace are you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast (Ephesians 2:8-9, ESV).” Your faith is important to God.
If you have never prayed to receive Christ as your Lord and Savior, you need to know that you can do that right where you are. You can pray these words right where you are: “Lord Jesus, I know that I have sinned against you. I also know that you died on the cross and rose from the dead to pay the penalty for my sin and to purchase a place in heaven for me. I know that you did that for me. Right now, where I am sitting, I place my faith in what you did on the cross for me. I trust in you for my salvation.” If you do that, if you pray that, you need to know that your faith is important to God, and that is all it takes to have eternal life.
Not only have you placed your faith in Jesus Christ, you also live by faith. When the going gets tough, the tough don’t “get going.” You pray. You ask God to intervene. When you have needs, you trust him to provide. When you seek guidance, you rely on him to guide. Sometimes you become weary. There may be times when you wonder if it is worthwhile going to church. There are times when you wonder if it is worth sacrificing for God. But you do it because you trust him, and trusting him is what he wants from you.
But living by faith is not just about when the going gets tough. When we seek to live the Christian life, there are things God expects of us, things we ordinarily might not choose to do. Living by faith means living with an eternal perspective. Jesus said, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me (Luke 9:23, ESV).” Doing that takes faith, and it pleases God. The Bible says, “Since you call on a Father who judges each man’s work impartially, live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear (1 Peter 1:17, NIV).” Doing that is an act of faith, and God delights in your faith. Jesus said, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you (Matt. 5:44, ESV). How can you possibly do that without faith? Your faith is very important to God.
So what have we learned from the shepherds today? Three things, I hope! God cares for you as a person. What you do in life is important to him. He cares about your faith. A more simple way of saying it is to say that everything about you is important to your heavenly Father.
So what difference should it make for people like you and me who probably have never even met a real shepherd? How should it affect us directly? Let me personalize it for you in this way: Given the choice 2,000 years ago, where would you rather have been on that cold winter night, in a warm palace somewhere living in royal affluence and power, or in the dusty chilly hills outside of Bethlehem? Would you have preferred being a person of influence in town, eating and drinking with friends and dignitaries, or being private audience to the greatest choir this earth has ever heard? Would you have enjoyed more talking with people about religious things, or hearing heaven’s messenger broadcasting the birth of your newborn king to you before anyone else heard the message? Wouldn’t it have been nice to have been a lowly shepherd that night? Wouldn’t it be nice to be shepherd-like in our faith today? How you answer questions like these will say a whole lot about what you think about who you are, what you are doing in life, and how and what you believe in.
