Splashes Of Living Colour Christmas Eve

Luke 2:8-15 says:

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. 12This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”

15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

Prayer

Please pray with me:

Gracious Father,

Thank you that you have not left this world in darkness,

but have sent your eternal Son as the light of the world,

to show us your glory, to give us new life and joy.

Open our eyes to see Jesus more clearly,

to trust him more fully,

to serve him more joyfully,

and to find all our satisfaction in him.

Amen.

The year is 2017 soon to be 2018

The story is all too familiar.

A government that is insecure and dictated to by the real world leaders.

An apparently manic leader at the head of the known world.

Fights over who controls Jerusalem

Power plays happening politicaly everywhere – People coming in from the east –

Confusing changes in the cosmos – a vulnerable baby sought after by those who want to kill it –

A homeless pregnant woman and her husband with nowhere to stay –

Which era are we in? - today? Or the first century?

Many of the facts are common to both eras.

The truth is nothing much has changed – in todays world we live under doubt about the future – our world – as we have previously known it is changing radically.

I made a list of some of the words that conjure up doubt and insecurity about our future.

Global warming – Putin – Trump – North Korea – rufugees – in Sudan and everywhere else –

Rising oceans – suicide and despair – wars and threats Middle east crises a devastated Syria mynamar refugees and so the list continues – no one could possibly list the causes we might have for our concern about the future.

But the effective counter balance to all of that is a small baby born 21 centuries ago and who splashed colour all over the known world.

Joseph and Mary had a lot to deal with in their world – But in the midst of all that confusion something happens so extraordinary that it is going to changeeverything.

On the dark backdrop of world history God’s brushstrokes lighten up a dark and troubled world.

In Southland farmers are worried about M.bovis outbreaks among dairy herds in Palestine Farmers were worried about predators and thieves stealing or destroying their flocks so they were on guard.

When a splash of living colour broke into their small and somewhat terrifying world

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. 12This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

I don’t know how you feel about your world but sometimes we can feel that we are insignificant and

Of little importance but we learn something from this amazing event.

The ordinary people the farmer on the hill – the labourer in the factory or the child in the slum is being watched over by an amazing God and he longs to bless you.

Faithful hardworking Shepherds suddenly realising the magnitude of God and yes the glory of his love.

Notice how the importance of their flocks fades into insignificance – Angels in the heavens singing glory to God puts everything into perspective – they apparently abandon their flocks to the hills or leave them in some pen and just take off – The message here is clear