It does seem like there is a socially acceptable level of charity or giving or caring is raised a bit around Christmas time. But even then there is a limit to what people will allow. I mean your suppose to be nice, your suppose to share gifts, your suppose to give a little extra to the church and to missions this time of year, but man don’t go to far as to allow them to interfere with any or our traditions.
If there is one thing that is clear from the stories of Christ’s birth in the New Testament it is that God consistently and intentionally broke with popular tradition to call, bless, and exalt the overlooked.
Look again at the this popular passage from the Bible. Even people who are not familiar with the Bible have heard and perhaps even read this passage. Luke chapter 2:8-20.
READ: Luke 2:8-20
Get the context, Mary is accompanied by her beloved Joseph. They are in Bethlehem in a lowly place (a stable or cave or barn) very likely surrounded by animals. While Mary is laboring to deliver her first born Son, God the father paces nervously in the halls of heaven, as he observes the birth of his own Son.
Through the pain of delivery comes the beautiful baby boy. He is wrapped in strips of clothing to keep him warm. And it is as if God the father had to spread the news. He sends out a birth announcement like none other. With angelic messengers, and bright light and glory he let’s the word out.
We might expect heaven to be excited and break forth in shouts of praise for this once in history event. Never before had God taken on human flesh. This was new, this was exciting, this child would change the world.
But the dramatic twist in this scenario is to whom this angelic birth announcement is sent.
Now when Princess Diana delivered Princes William and then Prince Harry, I don’t know if they sent out birth announcements, but I would imagine they would go to national heads of state, Political players, those with Royal blood, the aristocracy, famous people. Presidents, governors, senators, - human stars. The announcements certainly would not send them out to carnival workers or to truck drivers.
Herein lies, the twist in God’s birth announcement. There in Bethlehem was born the King of all kings, the Lord of all lords, God visiting our planet this once and only once. One Son of God, no other births, no other announcements to be given out. This was it. This was the biggest event in human history. And the mayor of Bethlehem doesn’t get the announcement. The High Priest in Jerusalem is left out of the loop. The Caesar and the members of his Royal court are don’t get the news. None of the officials, none of the power elite get the announcement.
The palace doesn’t hear, the temple doesn’t hear, Jerusalem doesn’t hear.
This birth announcement that God gives out goes to a group of Sheep herders on the outside of Bethlehem.
The question quickly arises, Why? Why the shepherds? Why not more noble recipients of this glorious news? Why waste it on shepherds?
There are I’m sure many reasons God chose to reveal this breaking news to Sheep herders. We will look, this morning at two of them. 1. By giving the message of the birth of Jesus to the shepherds, I believe God intentionally provides a glimpse into the nature of Jesus’ ministry as the Good Shepherd. 2. God intentionally seeks out and uses those that people consistently overlook, disregard, or count out.
Let’s look at the first. By appearing to Shepherds, emphasizes Jesus’ connection to Shepherding. There is a connection between Shepherding and the life and ministry of Jesus.
A. Great leaders in Israel’s history had a connection with shepherding. Jesus would be a shepherd in the line of other great shepherds in Israel’s history. Moses and David were once shepherds before become the great prophet and king respectively.
Abel, the first acceptable worshiper after the Fall was a shepherd.
In Exodus 3, we read of Moses being called while shepherding the flock of his father Jethro, when he experience the presence of God in the burning bush.
King David was a shepherd boy when he was anointed by Samuel as King of Israel. He rose from shepherding sheep, to shepherding the people of Israel.
Psalm 78:70 He chose his servant David, calling him from the sheep pens. 71 He took David from tending the ewes and lambs and made him the shepherd of Jacob’s descendants – God’s own people, Israel. 72 He cared for them with a true heart and led them with skillful hands.
God had in times past raised up shepherds to lead Israel to a greater knowledge of God. And now in that same tradition, the master Shepherd of Israel the (sheep) had just been born. The Shepherd of shepherds.
Isaiah the prophet foretold that the coming Savior of Israel would be a shepherd to the God’s people. He described the messiah as one who (40:11) …shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry [them] in his bosom, [and] shall gently lead those that are with young.
Jesus embraced the description as a Shepherd calling himself the good shepherd
11 "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 A hired hand will run when he sees a wolf coming. He will leave the sheep because they aren’t his and he isn’t their shepherd. And so the wolf attacks them and scatters the flock. 13 The hired hand runs away because he is merely hired and has no real concern for the sheep. 14 "I am the good shepherd; I know my own sheep, and they know me, 15 just as my Father knows me and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep.
The Shepherds on the hills of Bethlehem, that first Christmas, received the news that Christ the Lord was born. The long awaited shepherd had arrived. The messiah, the leader of the people of Israel. The Jewish messiah.
B. Jesus’ ministry is analogous to shepherding.
By first announcing the birth of Christ to Shepherds God gave a glimpse into the type of ministry Jesus would have. It would be like Sheep herding. In many ways, trying to get persons to follow the path of the LORD is like herding wayward sheep.
Sheep herding was hard work. Never a day off. The sheep needed constant attention and care. They could not be left alone for a moment or else trouble would find them.
Shepherds were (because they had to be) committed to their sheep. Sheep are notoriously dumb. Sheep are known to eat themselves sick if they remain in one spot two long. They don’t foresee danger, they mindlessly follow the sheep ahead of them. Which makes them extremely vulnerable to harm. Sheep are stubborn.
The one who loves his sheep entirely and would protect them against any foe without flinching. Jesus would be dedicated to bringing the children of Israel into his fold.
And like sheep they were dumb in many ways to God’s purposes and stubborn, rooted in to their own tradition and way of doing things. This made them vulnerable to lies and ultimately spiritual death. But Jesus would be the good shepherd who was willing to pay the ultimate price for the protection, the salvation of his sheep, not only those of Israel, but other sheep, that is non-Jews, and he would unite this two different folds under one Shepherd.
C. Jesus would be the Lamb of God.
Looking back we can see that God appeared to shepherds because he knew that his son would be the Good Shepherd, who would have to pay the ultimate price for his sheep, he would have to lay down his life for theirs.
Perfect lamb
It is likely that animals the shepherds were watching that night were being groomed for the temple sacrifice. They were sacrificial lambs.
And so it is poignant that the Lord God would notify shepherds that not only was the good shepherd born this night, tonight a Savior was born to you, in the City of David. A Savior, a sacrifice, one who would as Isaiah predicted would be “led like a lamb to the slaughter.”
A lamb, The lamb, the lamb of God that (as John the Baptist would one day proclaim) that takes away the sin of the world.
For to you this day in the city of David is born to YOU- a Savior.
In one climactic event, in one person the Shepherd and the Lamb were born. Temple sacrifices would come to an end. The spotless lamb had been born.
The second point that comes across clearly, and the one that has the most to do with our theme of honoring the overlooked is this. It is clear that
II. God intentionally used the Overlooked as messengers of the Good News
It might help to look again at Shepherding. Today we see shepherd figurines around the nativity of Jesus and we think o, what a cute little lot they were. With such holy faces, and pure hearts.
A. Social Outcasts
These sheep herders that receive the angelic announcement, were not necessarily the mild-hearted, clean cut altar boys, one might imagine. Shepherds were borderline social outcasts. They didn’t fit in with the culture. Because they were always traveling and moving with their sheep, they didn’t have much of a home life.
They didn’t have the 9-5 job, with 2 kids, a two car garage, and a fence with a swing in the backyard. They were wanderers, drifters in a society that didn’t have much room for people like that. Shepherds had the reputation, whether fairly or not, as being thieves. They couldn’t trusted. They were a little shady. You didn’t want them counting the offering, let’s just say that!
They lived and moved around with sheep. They didn’t look good, They didn’t smell good. They were crude and harsh in their language. Uneducated and unsophisticated men.
B. They were also Religiously Unclean. In Jewish tradition to fully participate in the religion you had to undergo certain rituals and attend certain festivals and services to be considered clean, acceptable to God. Because of a shepherd’s work schedule and constant migration, they could not attend those regular services and perform the necessary ritual of purification. Thus, Shepherds were religiously unclean.
A person in right standing with God was not to touch a shepherd, lest they too become unclean. They were not allowed to go into the temple. When they did show their faces at the temple, they got ‘those looks.’
You know those looks. You don’t belong here. What are you doing here? What is your kind doing at our Church? God doesn’t have a place for you. Clean yourself up. When you gonna make something out of yourself?
And Shepherds were backward people. They weren’t down with all the new trends, or savvy in the city talk. They were country people, rural folk who didn’t have the latest gadgets or the newest toys, no PDAs, no laptops, no email addresses, no personal web pages. They carried the rod and the staff.
That who the shepherds were. Outcasts. Overlooked. Ousted by the religious establishment. Not good enough for God, so they were taught.
Now when the angel appears to them, it makes sense why they were scared doesn’t it. I mean of course just the human emotion of seeing something supernatural is frightening, but compound that with the teaching that these men were indoctrinated with- they were unclean, under judgment, at enmity with God.
Now listen again to the words
“An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the LORD shone around them, and they were terrified. But he angel said to them, “Don’t be afraid. I bring you good news (not bad news, not judgment, not condemnation) of great joy (not news of fear or intimidation, or sarcasm) that will be for all the people (even you, no special treatment with God). Today in the town of David (a shepherd once just like you) a Savior has been born to you (to us? God has given something to us?); he is messiah, the Lord.
It was for the overlooked of the world that heaven lit up and the announcement came. God threw the switch and displayed the heavenly Christmas lights for the overlooked.
(2) God intentionally uses the overlooked as messengers of the good news because that way God gets all the Glory.
You see God doesn’t play power games with people. God doesn’t deal well with inflated egos. By using people that the world considered second rate, God further displays his power.
When the shepherd went and confirmed what the angel said to them, they (17) they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.
The people were amazed at the message and that shepherds could actually herald this amazing message. Shepherds don’t normally know this kind of information. EXACTLY. God gets glory.
God uses unlikely means to convey his message of salvation because it silences the so called experts and makes the message available to everyone.
1 Corinthians 1:20-21 Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe.
1:26-29 Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things- and the things that are not- to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him.
I read the story this week, of a woman who was shamed and brought closer to God by someone the world would over look.
“We were the only family with children in the restaurant. I sat Erik in a high chair and noticed everyone was quietly eating and talking. Suddenly, Erik squealed with glee and said “Hi There.” He wiggled and giggled with merriment at a man with a tattered rag of a coat, dirty, greasy, and worn. His pants were baggy, with a zipper at half mast and his toes poked of would-be shoes. His shirt was dirty and his hair was uncombed and unwashed. His whiskers were not quite a beard and varicose charted a complex map across his nose.
We were too far to smell him, but I’m sure he smelled. His hands waved at my baby “Hi there, baby; hi there, big boy. I see ya, buster,” the man said to Erik. My husband and I didn’t know what to do. Erik continued to laugh and answer, “Hi, Hi There.”
Our meal finally came, and the drunken geezer began shouting across the room “Do you know patty cake? Do you know peek-a-boo? Hey look, he knows peek-a-boo.” No one thought the old man was cute. My husband and I were embarrassed. Erik, on the other hand was running through his repertoire of tricks all of which were admired by the bum.
We finally got through the meal. My husband went to pay, Erik and I headed for the door. The old man was poised between me and the door. I uttered a prayer “Lord just let me out of here before he speaks to me or Erik.”
As I drew close the man, I turned my back trying to side-step him and avoid any air he might be breathing. As I did Erik leaned over my arm, reaching with both arms in a baby’s ‘pick-me-up’ position.
Before I could stop him, Erik had propelled himself from my arms to the man’s. Erik in an act of total trust, love and submission laid his tiny head upon the man’s ragged shoulder. The man’s eyes closed and I saw tears hover beneath his lashes. His aged hands, full of grime, pain, and hard labor gently, so gently, cradled my baby’s bottom and stroked his back.
The old man rocked and cradled Erik in his arms for a moment and then his eyes opened and set squarely on mine. He said in a firm, commanding voice, “You take care of this baby.” Somehow I managed “I will” from a throat that contained a stone. I received my baby and the man said “God bless you ma’am you’ve given me my Christmas gift.”
I ran to the car. My husband wondered why I was crying and saying “My God, my God, forgive me.
The ragged old man, unwittingly had reminded me “To enter the Kingdom of God we must become as little children.”
Can you relate to the shepherds. Overlooked, looked at with suspicion, led to believe you’re not worthy of God’s love. Here the angels message to you- for to you a Savior is born, Christ the Lord. Embrace him.
Do you have a hard time relating to people like the shepherds? Do you relate more to those who do the overlooking, than with those who are overlooked? Do you related more with the social elite, or the upper middle class professional? God wants us to remember that we are all equal in God’s eyes, no social levels. And God is calling you to honor the overlooked. Look for ways to reach out to those the world ignores.
