Luke 2:8-20

            {Prayer}

            Do you open your presents on Christmas Eve or on Christmas day? How about your stockings? Do you get to check those every day or just on Christmas morning? Is your tree artificial or real? Do you decorate the outside of your house as well as the inside?

            These are all important questions because we all have different Christmas customs. Christmas customs are meant to get us into the holiday spirit, but at times they can easily become Christmas chores. They’re just another list of things we need to do. If that’s happened, it’s time to set aside the customs and get back to basics. And getting back to the Christmas basics is simple. You celebrate Christmas as the shepherds did.

            The night of that first Christmas must have seem like any other night to the shepherds who are on the hillsides outside of Bethlehem. All the sheep had been gathered in and there was nothing left to do except to keep watch, to make sure no wolves come along for a midnight snack, to visit with one another, and to stay warm. That was their nightly routine. Pretty basic, pretty mundane.

            That is until an angel of the Lord bursts onto the scene out of nowhere. The bright light of God’s glory all of a sudden filled the night sky and shone around them. Unasked and unexpected, that’s how the angel arrived. Unasked and unexpected, that’s how God continues to enter into the hearts of people today.

            So how did the shepherds react to this heavenly invasion? The same way I think any of us would if an angel shining with all of God’s glory all of a sudden showed up. They were terrified!!! And this isn’t like someone popping out to scare you as you turn around or round the corner. No, these shepherds were filled with utter terror! They were in a state of severe distress!

            It’s kind of like when the phone rings in the middle of the night and wakes you up. You fear the worse because no one calls you at that ungodly hour. Could it be a friend calling to tell you that your son or daughter was in accident? Could it be Grandma to say that Grandpa isn’t doing so well? Could it be the hospital calling about a loved one? In the same way the shepherds feared the worst when they saw God’s messenger standing before them. Had the angel come to announce that it was Judgment Day? If so, were they ready to be judged by the righteous God?

            You see, we need to remember, these shepherds were not the clean-cut, respectable altar boy types that we see in our nativity scenes each year. If you were a shepherd at the time, you would laugh if someone described you that way. You would say something like, “The priest consider me unclean because I live in the fields and don’t attend services at the temple. I’m not allowed to give testimony in court, because no one trusts me.” The shepherds at that time were wanderers, the drifters of society. People didn’t trust them and they had shady reputations.

            But the angel didn’t come to judge or condemn the shepherds. Instead, the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:10-11).

            I wonder what the shepherds were thinking when they heard this. “A Savior has been born to US? We are lowly shepherds. Why would God give US a Savior?”

            “This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger” (2:12). How strange right? You would think that the Messiah would be born in a palace. You would think that kings, pious priests, and all the high class members of society would be invited to see the Messiah. But that’s not how it went down that first Christmas. The only people who knew that the Christ is lying in a manger besides Mary and Joseph were lowly shepherds.

            “Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests’” (2:13-14). The angels told the shepherds, you can feel peace, because God has shown favor to you.

            Just by listening to this message, the attitude of the shepherds changed. Their fear was replaced with joy. The Savior had been born in Bethlehem, just as the Old Testament prophets said he would. By listening and taking to heart this message, the shepherds learned that God’s Word can be trusted. They also learned that the child was not just human; He was God and He was called “the Lord.” But most of all, the shepherds were overjoyed because this Savior had not just come to save a select group of people. The angel said that this news was for “all people.”

            No gifts, no lights, no eggnog, no Christmas party. On that first Christmas Eve, lowly shepherds were working the night shift. But they felt a sense of joy that most people today can only dream about. On the outside, it didn’t look like they had much that night. But on that first Christmas, they were the richest, the happiest people in the world because they knew that God had sent a Savior, even to them.

            Can you relate to those shepherds? Deep down, you and I are one of those shepherds. We try to hide behind our nice clothes, our nice houses, our nice cars and latest and greatest electronics. On the outside, we act like we really don’t need God, we don’t need a Savior or anything like that.

            But deep down, if we truly examine our hearts, we are these shepherds. We have our fears, we have our worries. Perhaps at times we have felt like outcasts. Many of us, deep down, are relieved when Christmas is over because now I don’t have to pretend to be so joyful.

            But tonight … you are the one sitting out in the field. You are the one the angel speaks to. He tells you that a Savior has been born to you. God cares about you. God loves you so much that He sent His only Son to be your Savior.

            The shepherds though weren’t just content to hear the message. They wanted to learn more about this Savior, and so they got up and they went to Bethlehem. They didn’t debate whether or not they had time to do so or if it was convenient for them. They didn’t even worry about who would watch the sheep. They got up and rushed to find out more about their Savior.

            And there they saw Him. There you see Him, lying in a manger. Lying in a messy manger. Don’t be put off by how lowly He looks. This baby, He’s God’s gift to you. This baby is God in disguise. And He comes to this earth, to this place do something for you. Thirty-three years after He is born, Christ makes himself even more lowly than a messy manger. His beaten and scourged body is nailed to the cross for Him to die a miserable, hellish death.

            All this He does for you. This is how God saves you! This is how God brings you peace. This is how God shines His glory around you. Never think that you are too lowly, that you are too sinful, that God doesn’t care about you at all because He does care about you. Look to the gift God gives you! He gives you a Savior who takes all your sins away. Wrapped in swaddling cloths is the gift of eternal life! He is Christ the Lord!

            Here is where you find joy that last beyond the holidays. Sure, you can receive happiness and joy in the giving out and receiving of gifts. There is joy in decorating, joy in gathering with loved ones, joy in eating, joy in our Christmas customs. But there is a deeper joy, a joy that truly lasts when all the other things fade away.

            To know that God came down from heaven to this earth, this messy place, in the lowly form a child … there you will find joy that lasts. To know that this child is your Savior from sin, death, and Satan, to know that no matter how lowly you are, no matter how sinful you are, no matter how young or old you are … you have a God who has sent His Son to save you. He is Christ the Lord. Celebrate like the shepherds by listening to the angel’s message and then by sharing that message. May you be filled with that kind of joy long after the holidays are over. Amen.

            The peace and glory of God which shines around you, guard your hearts and minds in Christ the Lord, the Son of God, who comes to bring you peace now and forever. Amen.