Luke 2:8-12 (NIV)
And there were
shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at
night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone
around them, and they were terrified. 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. Today
in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a
baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."
In a
couple of days, we will celebrate Christmas. For many it will be a day of fun,
excitement, presents, and family. For others it will be a day of disappointment,
regret, and loneliness. Our secular world has hyped up Christmas to a fever
pitch. The focus is on gifts, decorations, and presents. The hype of Christmas stirs
many emotions within us. It gets our emotional adrenalin pumping. We can become
frantic in our attempts to live up to all of the expectations that come along
with the season. When finally we are past Christmas there is both relief and
let down. As our adrenalin subsides, we feel drained and sometimes empty.
All the
fun and excitement, hurry and busyness of Christmas can obscure the true
meaning of this celebration. It is a time to stop and reflect upon the reality
that in one moment God changed the course of human history forever. The Word
became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory
of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. John
1:14 (NIV)
The
Christmas story emphasizes the reality of the incarnation. The story of Jesus
is not a myth or a legend. It is a historical fact; a reality that we all must
deal with. In the Christmas story, the unapproachable God became approachable.
The unknowable God became knowable. The untouchable God became touchable. In
the Christmas event, God became tangible for all of humanity. John summarized the
reality of Jesus in the opening lines of his first letter. That which was
from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes,
which we have looked at and our hands have touched--this we proclaim concerning
the Word of life. 1 John 1:1 (NIV)
The
Christmas story is not a legend, but an invitation to take our place in the
story. It is a living story that
continues to expand even today.
On that
very first Christmas there was an unlikely group of people who were called to
take their place in the story of Jesus; and there were shepherds living out in
the field, watching their flocks by night. The shepherds were common people.
They lived on the fringe of society. Because of their occupation they were
excluded from worship in the Temple. Yet they played a vital role in the
worship of God. It is very likely that these particular shepherds were temple
shepherds, keeping watch over the sheep that would be used in the Temple as
sacrifices.
On that
monumental night, God sent his birth announcement, not to the priests in
Jerusalem, but to common shepherds out in the field. The message that God sent
to them was profound and unexpected. The Messiah has been born! The long-awaited
Messiah had finally arrived. The Messiah has been born to you!
Yes, you common shepherds have been included. You have been invited into the
inner circle of God’s kingdom. You get to be the first to welcome the Messiah
into the world.
The
shepherds were left with a choice. They could marvel at what they had heard and
stay where they were, or they could follow the angel’s instructions and find
the child; and that is what they did. The angel gave the shepherds tangible
clues to the identity of the child; you will find the child, wrapped in
clothes, and lying in a manger. The message was clear. The Messiah was real, tangible,
knowable, approachable.
So
they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the
manger. When they had seen him, 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. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered
them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all
the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told. Luke
2:16-20 (NIV)
We know
very little about Jesus’ life as a child and young man. But we know that he
didn’t just show up on the world stage out of nowhere. He came into this world
in the same way we all did. He walked the same journey of life that we all do.
He lived among us in reality.
Luke
2:20 stands out in my mind. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising
God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had
been told. God confirmed the reality of His message in the form of a newborn
child.
For many
people God is a concept, a vague idea, an unapproachable, out there somewhere
entity. Christmas made God tangible and real. Jesus was born in a real place,
in real time. He lived in a real place in real time.
Christmas
can be just a holiday, with a nice story to go along with it. Or Christmas can
be an encounter with the reality that God invited our world; that God came
near. The shepherds were told that they could find the child if they were
willing to seek him. The same promise is held out to us. We too can find Jesus
if we have the courage to break out of our routine and earnestly seek Him.
Jeremiah 29:13
(NIV)
You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.
