Birth Announcements
December 16, 2007
Luke 2:8-20
If you had to rate yourself in terms of how popular you are, how would you rate yourself? Would you be an 8 or 9, really popular and sought after? Or would you be a 4 or 5; people know you, but you’re not really popular, or are you in the lower category, a 1 or a 2? We can rate our popularity at school, at work, even at home and yes, we could do it at church, too. To some extent, we all want to consider ourselves important, needed and valued.
When you think about the shepherds, where would they rank on a scale of 1 to 10? If the people of Bethlehem and Jerusalem were doing the rating, they probably would have been considered a 1. And that might be stretching it for them.
Most of us are familiar with the story of the shepherds. A group of sheep herders are visited by an angel telling them the Messiah has been born. We’ve heard the story so many times, that it may not be such a big deal. In fact, more than anything, it just may be a cute story. So, as we look at Christmas stories, let me ask you, “WHY IN THE WORLD WOULD GOD TELL THE SHEPHERDS FIRST?”
A baby is born, it is the Messiah, the Son of God, the Chosen One, the Prince of Peace. And like any daddy, God the father wants to spread the news. It’s time for the birth announcements to go out. He sends out a birth announcement like none other — with angelic messengers, bright lights and glory.
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 to.
I’m not sure if kings and queens send out birth announcements, the media does a good job of getting the news out fast, but if they did, who would get one? I would imagine they would go to heads of state, those with Royal blood, the aristocracy, Presidents, and movie stars. The announcements certainly would not be sent to the common everyday, ordinary blue collar workers, would they?
And here lies the twist in God’s birth announcement. There in Bethlehem was born the King of kings, the Lord of lords. God visiting our planet 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.
The mayor of Bethlehem doesn’t get an announcement. The High Priest is left out of the loop. King Herod and the royal court don’t get the news. No high ranking officials, none of the movers and shakers get an announcement. Instead, God’s birth announcement goes to a group of Sheep herders on the outskirts of Bethlehem.
Have you ever considered — Why? Why the shepherds? Why not more noble recipients of this glorious news? Why waste the greatest news ever on shepherds?
I’m sure there are many reasons God chose to reveal this breaking news to Sheep herders. I believe two of the main reasons are — first, 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; and secondly, God intentionally seeks out people who are overlooked, disregarded or counted out.
I want to concentrate on the fact that God intentionally sent His birth announcement to those who were considered on the low end of the popularity scale.
It might help to look at Shepherding. Today we see shepherd figurines around the nativity scene and we think ‘what a cute little lot they were, with such holy faces and pure hearts.’
The sheep herders that received the angelic announcement, were not necessarily the well mannered, clean cut altar boys, one might imagine. Shepherds were considered social outcasts. They didn’t fit in with the culture. They didn’t have a 9-5 job, with 2 kids, a two car garage, and a fence with a swing in the backyard. They worked 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. They didn’t have a home life. They were wanderers and drifters — living and moving around with the sheep. They didn’t look good, they didn’t smell good, they used crude language, they were uneducated and unsophisticated men.
During the day, they led the sheep to grass and water. They watched while the sheep grazed and kept an eye out for predators like wolves. And at night, they slept in the sheep pen with the sheep to guard against theft and attacks. A good shepherd could identify each one of his sheep by sight. He knew his sheep and they knew him.
In John 10:2-4, Jesus said, “The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep. The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice.”
It’s this image we hold onto when we think of comforting psalms such as Psalm 23, when we consider “The Lord is My Shepherd.” It is Christ who is our shepherd, leading us to streams of everlasting water. So, when we think of the shepherds, we can imagine what Christ was called to do in leading us.
To fully participate in the Jewish religion you had to participate in certain rituals and attend certain festivals in order to be considered clean and acceptable to God. Because of a shepherd’s work schedule and constant migration, they could not perform the purification rituals. The Shepherds were considered religiously unclean.
A person in right standing with God was not to touch a shepherd, lest they too become unclean. Shepherds were not allowed to go into the temple. When they did show their faces at the temple, they got ‘those looks.’ Looks that said, ‘You don’t belong here. What are you doing here? What is your kind doing here? God doesn’t have a place for you.’
That’s who the shepherds were. Outcasts. Overlooked. Ousted by the religious establishment. Not good enough for God, or so they were taught.
When we read in verse 9, “An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.” The word terrified in Greek, literally means they were extremely terrified. Think of someone who has a phobia, when they come in contact with what they are afraid of, they become super afraid. That is what this phrase means, and in fact, our word phobia comes out of this very word.
So, it makes sense why they were scared. Of course, seeing something supernatural is frightening, but compound that with the teaching these men were indoctrinated with - they were unclean, under judgment, at enmity with God.
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. Often times, God uses the overlooked as messengers of the good news.
You see God doesn’t play power games with people. God doesn’t deal well with inflated egos. By using people the world considered second rate, God further displayed His power.
Everyone who heard the shepherds story about Jesus were amazed. They marveled at what the shepherds said, and that included Mary, who treasured their words in her heart. God uses unlikely means to convey his message of salvation because it silences the so called experts and makes the message available to everyone.
I read the following story on the Internet ~~ {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 out 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 and he said, “Hi there, baby; hi there, big boy. I see ya, buster.” My husband and I didn’t know what to do. Erik continued to laugh and say, “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 to 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 precious 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. Hear 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? Then recognize that in God’s sight, you are on the same level as everyone else. You don’t have a head start with God. In fact, anything that causes you to think too highly of yourself; anything that stimulates pride, actually puts you farther behind.
If that’s the case, then ask God to purify your heart and grant you true humility. Understand that you are accepted before God on the same basis as anyone else – not because of anything you are, or anything you have done, but only because of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, who gave His life and suffered the penalty for your sin so you could have eternal life and receive forgiveness. Embrace the Christ child, embrace the Savior, He came for you.
