"Good News of Great Joy to All People"
Luke 2:1-20
Posted December 23, 2000
Only Luke's biography of the life of Christ records the Angelic
Annunciation to the Shepherds. As he was developing his systematic
chronology he, as do most modern day authors, went around interviewing
persons who were actually there. As I have said before, he interviewed Mary,
and she might have told him that some of the shepherds were still living in
Bethlehem. Since his gospel was written only 40-50 years after the birth of
Christ, it is quite probable that he found the actual shepherds. Since they
had gone everywhere telling their story of "good news of great joy to all
people..." there were probably many people who knew just where the shepherds
still lived. Today's churches in Bethlehem still consider their founding
fathers to be the shepherds who were first to tell the story of Christmas.
Most folks seem to hold the wise men as their favorite characters in
the nativity scene, all rich and regal, but I have always loved the simple
shepherds, somewhat unkempt, out sleeping in the fields, looking like today's
guys coming home from a week long hunting trip. As a child I could always
get a part in the nativity pageant because I asked to play a shepherd. The
costume was simpler to get up. Dad's old bathrobe and a brown towel around
your head would do just fine. I loved drawing fake whiskers on my face with
charcoal. We would add some sandals, or bedroom slippers to make the costume
complete. Nobody ever wanted to put makeup on a shepherd, unless it was
dirt, and that was always fine with a young boy. Shepherds did not look so
pretty with fancy golden gowns and crowns.
Young readers of this text, in the King James Version, had to be very
careful to read the words in proper rhythm or it came out, "country
shepherds," instead of "And there were in the same country shepherds abiding
in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night." (Luke 2:8). The 1611
translators needed to have included a comma after "country." Many young
nativity pageant readers have fallen into that mistake.
I also admired the shepherds for getting up and going immediately to the
manger. It is assumed that the Wise Men arrived several months late, when
the holy family was living in a "house" (Matt. 2:11). I read on the internet
last week that if the Three Wise Men had been Three Wise Women, they would
have asked directions, been on time, cleaned the stable, helped with the
birthing, and made a casserole. Anyhow, most of us today forget that our
custom of giving expensive gifts to each other, like the Wise Men brought to
the baby, was supposed to signify God's gift of His Son. Yet, the big gifts
are almost assumed these days. One woman gave her husband a fifty dollar gift
certificate and he used it as a down payment on a BMW. We forget that
today's Christmas gifts are sold at next summer's flea markets. Some use
Christmas gifts as a way to get even. One man gave his boss a leaky ant
farm.
Again, at our nativity pageants, we always listen to the readers
carefully because if they miss the tempo they could have the shepherds
finding Mary and Joseph and the Babe all lying up in the manger together.
"And they came with haste, and found Mary and Joseph, and the babe lying in
a manger." (v. 16). J.B. Phillips' paraphrase made the reading easier by
inserting a dash line, instead of a comma, after the word Joseph. The New
English version uses a semicolon.
As an adult I have come to admire the shepherds because they were the
first to both visually witness and to give verbal witness to the coming of
the Messiah. "And when they had seen it, they made known abroad... and the
shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they
had heard and seen..." (v. 17 & 20). They became the first evangelists
going out to tell everybody they could find what they had witnessed in the
stable. No wonder that all who heard it were "filled with wonder." (v. 18).
As a preacher I have come to love the story of the shepherds because it
contains so much preaching material; even a three point sermon: "And the
angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you (I) good news of
(II) great joy, which shall be to (III) all people."
In a world filled with: death, disease, hatred, violence, and fear;
comes a story that is all Good News. Christmas brings joy to everyone's
heart who will allow him room. As the year 2000 dawns many are filled with
fear. Headlines in the newspapers and cover stories on major news magazines
have dealt with the worldwide fear of the end of the world, and fear of
violence that have gripped many. However, in Christ we have no fear for we
are filled with "Glad Tidings of great joy..." How we wish that "all
people" everywhere could have the shepherds' assurance and joy in their
hearts! Perhaps we could be the ones to go out and share the angelic message
with our family, friends, associates and neighbors.
Perhaps I love to preach about the shepherds most because they embody a
living example of our own coming to the Christ Child, and our own living for
the Christ Child. Not only do we come and observe what God has done in
Christ; we also must accept it into our hearts and allow it to remold our
lives. It is not enough to merely come and see the pretty decorations in the
Sanctuary and listen to the words that are sung and preached, we must decide
to make them our own. So often the Spirit comes to us just about like He did
for the shepherds: When we least expected Him, there He was. Most often the
Spirit still comes in a surprising manner.
And the Spirit of the Babe of Bethlehem has been here today. The
guarantee that Jesus gave is that whenever even just two or three of us
gather in his name he will always come and be in the midst of us. (Matt.
18:20). And He is especially here at Christmas. What a story it is with all
the ingredients of a precious baby born to a wonderful young couple. And
that baby being the Son of God who was born to die that we might live.
Christmas! What a story it is! Only God could have thought it up!
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