Christmas: Cast of Characters (3)
Scott Bayles, pastor
Blooming Grove Christian Church: 12/16/2012
I’ve said many times that everyone needs a place to belong, and that’s especially true during the holidays. So whether this is your first Christmas season with us or your fifty first, I hope Blooming Grove is a place where you can celebrate Christmas in a warm loving atmosphere, where you can recharge your spirit and rekindle your joy.
This December—between the presents, lights, reindeer and Ralphie—we’ve been getting to know the cast of characters God chose to play the most memorable roles in the greatest story ever told. A small-town carpenter, a teenage girl, and more to come. They were common people in the hands of an uncommon God. They became characters in a story written and directed by God. And I think that we find our stories in theirs.
Mary reminds us that even in difficult circumstances, if we will surrender our hearts and lives to God—allowing him to write our story—then Jesus will step into our world and change our lives forever. Josephs illustrates how, even when we are hurt and confused, God’s voice longs to be heard; that God will speak to us and our situation, if we will listen and obey. But the story isn’t over.
From a simple birth in a manger, God brought hope, peace and joy. Two thousand years later, we still celebrate the wonder, the humble beginnings, and the joy of Jesus’ birth. But that first Christmas was a quiet celebration. No trees to trim. No decorations. No party. No hype. No hoopla.
In fact, were it not for a group of certain poor shepherds watching their sheep in the fields where they lay, there would have been no reception at all. Here’s their story:
That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.”
Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying, “Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.” When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished.” (Luke 2:8-18 NLT)
This story has been etched into the tables of our hearts ever since it was recited by Linus in A Charlie Brown Christmas and even before that. But sometimes being so familiar with a story causes us to miss the real magic and meaning of it all. So let’s take a closer look at the shepherds’ story. What was this experience like for them? What can we learn from them? And how can we find our story in theirs?
I think their story is characteristic of how God works even today and it starts with an unexpected surprise.
• AN UNEXPECTED SURPRISE
These shepherds were minding their own business, or rather, their own sheep—just another day at the office, another night in their shepherding. Probably the most exciting thing that ever happened to them was a visit from a prowling wolf, which is why they kept watch. But then, the Bible says, “Suddenly, God’s angel stood among them and God’s glory blazed around them. They were terrified” (Luke 2:9 MSG). Can you imagine their surprise!? The sheer awe-struck, adrenaline fueled, panic?
Even after the angel reassures them, telling them not to be afraid, and announces to them the birth of their Savior—this would have been a very unexpected surprise.
Shepherds, in those days, weren’t highly esteemed. The very nature of their work kept them out in the fields instead of in church on Saturday morning. They weren’t very educated. They were a shifty lot; always on the move. Whenever something turned up missing, shepherds usually got blamed for it. Their testimony wasn’t even admissible in court because people didn’t trust them to tell the truth. So it seems strange that these shepherds would be the first to hear the announcement. They were your average, ordinary, everyday working people and were invited to see the birth of the King of kings!
There were senators in Rome, princes in Jerusalem, and philosophers in Athens. But God didn’t invite them. He went to the shepherds. Men who didn't have a reputation to protect or an ax to grind or a ladder to climb. Men who didn't know enough to tell God that angels don't sing to sheep and that messiahs aren't found wrapped in rags and sleeping in a feed trough. I’m sure the biggest surprise for them was that God even noticed them at all.
God still surprises people like that.
Maybe you don’t have such a great reputation yourself. Maybe it’s not too often that you darken a church doorstep. Maybe you’ve never done anything extraordinary in your life. Maybe you’re just an average, ordinary kind of guy. Maybe sometimes you wonder if God even notices you at all.
He does. Just like he noticed them.
In God’s eyes, no one is insignificant. Everybody is somebody. Jesus once said, “Two sparrows cost only a penny, but not even one of them can die without your Father’s knowing it. God even knows how many hairs are on your head. So don’t be afraid. You are worth much more than many sparrows” (Matthew 6:29-31 NCV).
No matter who you are or what you’ve done or where you’re from, God longs to break into your life in unexpected ways, to shine light into your darkness, and surround you with his glory. And he invites you, just as he invited the shepherds, to come and see Jesus; which brings us to the next part of the shepherds’ story—an unusual sign.
• AN UNUSUAL SIGN
Bethlehem may have been a “little town,” but finding the right baby wasn’t going to be easy, so the shepherds were given an identifying sign: “And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger” (Luke 2:12 NLT).
The fact that the baby would be wrapped in swaddling clothes wasn’t unusual; most babies would be found that way. The unusual part of this sign is the manger. This baby’s first bed was an animal feeding-trough.
Majesty in midst of the mundane—that’s unusual.
A couple of years ago on America’s Funniest Home Videos, this family had videotaped their kids coming downstairs to open their presents on Christmas morning. Their little boy rushed into the room to see a large present beside the tree and ran over to tear it open. The paper went flying and suddenly he broke into a dance and jumped around the room saying, “Wow! Just what I wanted! I love it. Wow.” After a while he went over to look at it again and said with a puzzled look on his face, “What is it?”
I imagine these shepherds felt little like that—puzzled by God’s gift.
Holiness in the most humble of places. Divinity entering the world on the floor of a stable, surrounded by the filth of sheep manure and sweat.
“What is this?” they must have wondered.
I think the message of the manger is two-fold. First, it shows the depths to which God was willing to go to show us his grace and love. Jesus stepped down from the highest throne of heaven into the humblest crib on earth. He not only loved us enough to become one of us, but he loved enough to become the least of us.
Furthermore, the manger also means that Jesus is accessible to everyone. Jesus wasn’t born in an ivory tower or cradled in a palace nursery. Once the shepherds found the stable, they could approach him freely. The manger is still a sign to us today that God came near. He came, not as a flash of light or as an unapproachable conqueror, but as one whose first cries were heard by a peasant girl, a sleepy carpenter, and a rag-tag bunch of shepherds. The hands that first held him were unmanicured, calloused and dirty.
Jesus is not only strong enough to trust, but he’s near enough to touch.
And he is still available to each one of us.
The final chapter in the shepherds’ saga is an unbelievable story!
• AN UNBELIEVABLE STORY
These shepherds became Christianity’s first evangelists. They had seen Christ and they were going to tell everyone about it—about the angels, about the couple in the stable, about the baby in the manger.
Luke writes, “After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished” (Luke 2:18 NLT).
The good news about Jesus is meant to be shared, and the best people to share it are ordinary folks who’ve had a personal experience with him. These shepherds weren’t preachers. They may not have even been literate. They probably couldn’t quote Scripture or argue theology, but they had a story to tell. And, as unbelievable as it was, their story touched people’s hearts and changed people’s lives. And it still does.
You have a story too.
You may not be able to quote Scripture or write a sermon, but if God has unexpectedly broken into your life, you have something to share. If you’ve come to Jesus and been changed by the experience, you’ve got a story to tell. Many people who won’t accept the authority of the Bible or set foot in a church will still listen to a humble, personal story about how you came to Christ. Sharing your story can build a bridge that Jesus can walk across from your heart to theirs.
That doesn’t mean you’ll always be successful. The Bible doesn’t say this, but I’m pretty sure at least a few people called the shepherds crazy. Even Billy Graham doesn’t win them all. There’s a story about Billy Graham when he was visiting a city for one of his crusades. He written a letter to his wife and was looking for a place to mail it. Outside the lobby of his hotel, he came across a young boy. He asked the boy if he knew how to get to the post office. The boy gave Billy Graham the directions and before leaving, Billy said to the boy, “Come on over to the arena tonight and I’ll tell you how to get to heaven.” The boy looked at him and replied, “How can you know how to get to heaven? You don’t even know the way to the post office!”
Not everyone will listen to your story, but it’s so important that we share Jesus. We were reminded yet again this week that there is so much evil in this world. Now, more than ever, we need God. People need the baby in the manger—the man on the cross. We need a Savior. That’s why Jesus came. So share your story.
Conclusion:
The message of the Shepherd’s story is this: Even the outcasts and underdogs matter to God. They matter so much that Jesus was willing to exchange a throne in heaven for crib in the hay. God invites every single one us to come to Jesus and then sends us to share the story of our encounter with his limitless love and matchless grace.
But, like I’ve said before, the story doesn’t end in the manger. It continues to the cross and to every person who puts their faith in the Son of heaven who walked the earth. God wants you to be a part of his story—his cast of characters.
Invitation:
As you prepare for Christmas this month and you celebrate the birth of Jesus this year, please realize that you are important to God; he notices you and he’s invited you see and share his Son. If there is anything I can do to help you accept that invitation, please come talk to me while we stand and sing.
