A Crazy Story
Let me tell you a crazy story. It happened on January 12th, 2007. That is the day when a young man by the name of Joshua Bell entered a subway station in Washington, DC. He was dressed in a long sleeve T-shirt and jeans. He found a nice place and took out his violin from its case. Then he placed the case on the ground in front of him – that way whoever was passing by could throw donations in it if they wished. For the next 45 minutes Joshua played on his violin. Over 1,000 people passed by that day as he played – most of them did not pay any attention to him at all. Most of them were too busy going here and there to even notice him. After he finished playing Joshua had collected about $32 from the 27 people who had stopped long enough to give a donation. Not too bad for 45 minutes of work right?
But let me tell you the rest of the story.
Joshua Bell is actually a world remounted violinist. Just three days earlier he played to a sold out audience at Boston Symphony Hall. The price of the tickets started at $100 each. The violin that he used in the subway was a rare Stradivarius worth over three million dollars. But most people did not even notice him. Most of them were too busy going here and there to notice.
I don’t know what your Christmas season has been like up to this point, but for most people it can be crazy, it can be hectic, it can be exhausting and it can be frustrating. As a result we can go through the Christmas season and totally miss the reason for the season. You see Christmas is about Christ. It always has been about Christ. It always will be about Christ. Let’s read our text for this morning:
“And in the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields, and keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. And the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which shall be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. "And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths, and lying in a manger." And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased." And it came about when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds began saying to one another, "Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us." And they came in haste and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger. And when they had seen this, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child. And all who heard it wondered at the things which were told them by the shepherds.”
Luke 2:8-18 (NASB)
This morning I would like us to talk about the Shepherds. You see they didn’t miss the message of Christmas at all. That is because they did four things – they perceived Christ – they perused Christ – they proclaimed Christ and the praised Christ. If we truly want to have a joyful Christmas – a meaningful Christmas – a Christ filled Christmas – perhaps we too need to do these four things. We need to:
1. PERCEIVE Christ
Let me ask you – if you were in charge of getting some important news out to the community – how would you do it? Who would you go to? You could let all the churches in the community know about it – they could announce it on Sunday morning – but what if you needed to get the word out before Sunday – and to tell you the truth – there aren’t huge crowds in most churches now a-days. Or you could go to the local coffee meeting places – every town has them you know. It’s the place where the men (and sometimes ladies) go to share the latest scuttlebutt. I’ve been to a few of those places and at those places you can discuss everything and anything. Sometimes there you can hear some tall tales – but other times you hear what going on in the community. Yep – that may be a good place to start.
But do you know where God started? He started out in the pasture – out where the sheep graze – for out there were a bunch of Shepherds watching their sheep – and God gave them a great announcement. “A Savior has been born who is Christ the Lord.”
Have you ever wondered why God sent a special announcement to the Shepherds? I mean he could have sent an angel to the temple and proclaimed the Lord’s coming to the priests. But he didn’t. God could have sent an angel to the political leaders and told them of the birth of a baby. But he didn’t. He could have sent the angel to the rich and powerful. But he didn’t. No – he sent a message to shepherds who were out there watching their sheep that night. Why would he do that? Perhaps it’s because Bible over and over again identifies Jesus with shepherds. Look at what Jesus said:
"I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.” John 10:11 (NASB)
And again:
"I am the good shepherd, and I know My own and My own know Me.” John 10:14 (NASB)
David understood that the Good Shepherd cares for his sheep when he wrote:
“The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness For His name's sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You have anointed my head with oil; My cup overflows. Surely goodness and loving-kindness will follow me all the days of my life, And I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.” Psalm 23:1-6 (NASB)
Peter talks about a day when the Chief Shepherd shall appear again when he writes:
“And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.” 1 Peter 5:4 (NASB)
But one of the most profound ideas that I have run across is based on a statement made by John the Baptist when he said:
"Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”
John 1:29b (NASB)
Who better to witness the birth of the Lamb of God than that of Shepherds? I am sure that they had seen other lambs born – but nothing like this Lamb. He was different – he was special – for he was born to take away the sin of the world. Perceive Christ.
The second thing we need to do to have a Christ filled Christmas is:
2. PURSUE Christ
Now the bible doesn’t tell us how long the angles stuck around but the Bible does say that when they left the shepherds said:
"Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us." Luke 2:15 (NASB)
The Message Bible says:
"Let's get over to Bethlehem as fast as we can and see for ourselves what God has revealed to us." Luke 2:15 (MSG)
The Tom Shepard translation would be:
“Dudes let’s hurry up – we got check this out!”
Now the Bible does not tell us how long it took for the shepherds to find Christ – but I can tell you this – they did not hesitate. They did not procrastinate. They went as quickly as they could to see the reality of message they had been given. They wanted to see if it was real. And guess what – it was. This wasn’t a dream. It wasn’t a hallucination. It wasn’t a fairy tale. This was the “real deal”. They found a baby lying in a manger – just like they had been told.
Folks let me tell you a fact: Christ still wants to be found.
Jesus said this:
"Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” Matthew 7:7 (NASB)
God is not here to play hide and seek with you. But you still need to make some effort to find him. The Bible says:
“Seek the LORD while He may be found; Call upon Him while He is near.” Isa 55:6 (NASB)
The shepherds did not just stay in their fields looking at sheep – but they pursued Christ – and guess what they found him. So can you. But you must make an effort to find him.
But that is not all that they did – after they found him they went out to:
3. PROCLAIM Christ
Look at what the Bible says:
“When they had seen this, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child. And all who heard it wondered at the things which were told them by the shepherds.”
Luke 2:17-18 (NASB)
I would have loved to have been there and listened to the conversation between the shepherds and Mary and Joseph. You would have heard stories about angels and a special child who was God’s gift to mankind. The shepherds were amazed – Mary and Joseph were amazed too. It was one crazy story – but for them it was a reality. It was no fairy tale – it was no hoax. They had firsthand knowledge of what was going on and they were excited about it.
What was their message? It was centered and focused on Christ.
It was not about chestnuts roasting on an open fire. It was not about frosty the snowman. It was not about some winter wonderland. It was not about sugar plums dancing in their heads. It was not about silver bells or brightly wrapped packages. It was not about jolly old Saint Nick or Rudolf the red nose reindeer. It was about Christ. Their message was centered and focused on Christ.
Let me ask you – is that who you are focused on this Christmas? I said it at the beginning of the sermon – let me say it again – Christmas is about Christ.
Max Lucado once wrote:
“The announcement went first to the shepherds. They didn't ask God if he was sure he knew what he was doing.
Had the angel gone to the theologians, they would have first consulted their commentaries.
Had he gone to the elite, they would have looked around to see if anyone was watching.
Had he gone to the successful, they would have first looked at their calendars.
So 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.”
But most of all – they were men who could focus their attention that night on Christ. They heard the message from the angel – they perceived Christ. They went and checked it out – the pursued Christ. They told the story – they proclaimed Christ. Then they would:
4. PRAISE Christ
Verse twenty of Luke chapter two says:
“The shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them.”
Luke 2:20 (NASB)
Why did the shepherds praise God? Because God had sent the greatest gift of all – His son Jesus Christ. God proved to them that He was real and that His promises were true! The shepherd’s lives were changed forever. Why? Because they had had an encounter with Christ. They perceived Christ, they pursued Christ, they proclaimed Christ and now they could praise Christ. Their lives were changed forever.
Is that your experience this Christmas? Are you praising Christ? If not, why not? That’s how it should be and that’s how it is meant to be! If it isn’t – maybe you should be asking, “What’s holding me back? What’s in the way? Am I too busy getting ready for Christmas to notice Christ?”
The statement is true – Jesus is the reason for the season.
Perceive Him – Peruse Him – Proclaim Him – Praise Him.
(Thanks to Chris Kelly for the sermon starter idea.)
