Why the Shepherds?

Luke 2:8–15

I wonder, why the shepherds?  Why were the shepherds the audience for God’s heavenly birth announcement?  Why were they the first recorded visitors of the baby Jesus?  Shepherds occupied one of the lowest rungs on the ladder of Jewish society when Jesus was born.  Most were not well educated, not well spoken, and in many cases, not well spoken of.  


Why not the priests, or scholars, or even the leading businessmen of Jerusalem?  These people would have been almost everything that the shepherds were not.  Wouldn’t they have been a more fitting audience for the angel’s message?  Wouldn’t they have been more appropriate visitors of the new born king?  Why the shepherds?


I wonder if God wanted to make a special invitation to a group of people leading simple lives and capable of a simple faith.  People who took time to witness the beauty and majesty of His creation every day (and night!).  People who weren’t consumed by a sports team or the latest news delivered by the latest technology from the capital city of Jerusalem.  People who weren’t blinded by so called “success”.  I wonder if that is at least partly why God made a special announcement to the shepherds.   

As we celebrate Christmas it seems good to wonder, why the shepherds?  It seems good to think about their lives and make some comparisons to our own.  It seems good to examine our faith and think about the One we celebrate on Christmas day – and every day.

Dear God, thank you for extending a special invitation to each of us to know and be known by your Son.  Thank you for loving us just like the shepherds, as we are and where we are.  Thank you for Christmas. Thank you for the shepherds.  Thank you for Jesus!

The Angel's Song

Read  Luke 2:8-20

It’s Christmas Eve! The anticipation of Christmas is at its height! Tonight, we will join together at church in praise and celebration of Jesus’ birth.

Some of my favorite parts of the Christmas Eve service are the songs. When I sit at the front of the sanctuary, the whole church seems bursting with song behind me. Hark the Herald Angels Sing, Joy to the World and the many others we know by heart are sung with joy and enthusiasm. Can you even imagine this in comparison to the angels singing in response to the birth of Jesus?

The shepherds were a witness to this song and the incredible news of the Messiah’s birth. They could tell it was a big deal! They then hurried to the village to see what had happened and they knew what the angel told them was true. Upon returning to their flocks, they too were glorifying and praising God. I imagine they were in complete and utter awe at what they had seen and heard.

Let us do the same today to the good news of Jesus’ birth. Let us be so in awe and wonder at this gift, that we are moved to abandoned, unrestrained praise.

QUESTIONS:

1. How does this scripture stir your heart to worship?

2. How do you respond to the news of Jesus’ birth? How can it be more like the angel's response?

PRAYER:

Lord, I ask You to give me eyes to see You in fresh ways this Christmas and worship You through my words, actions and singing.

Kirsten Svendsen

Enter the Light

Do you ever dream about tomorrow; what it will look like, how you will feel when tomorrow comes? I spend too much time thinking about what should have been and way too much energy reliving the past. The Scripture verses in Isaiah 60 are painting a picture of tomorrow; not what should have been, but what will be. In our waking hours we live in the today but in our dreams we can go to tomorrow.

  

Isaiah 60:1 (NIV)  "Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you.

The light has come. Have you ever stumbled in the darkness? Literally speaking I can recall a night in Honduras, while on a short-term mission trip, I found myself trying to find my way back to my cabin in the dark. My flashlight had broken and I was walking unfamiliar terrain in total darkness. When you live in the states, night time is dark, but in countries where there are no street lights or city lights to provide even a distance glow, it is really dark.

This experience has stayed with me over the years. I don't ever want to walk in 'real' darkness again. I felt alone and fearful of my safety. The relief I felt as I drew close to the shelter and saw a bit of light in the distance convicted me to never get in that situation again.  I drew a stunning parallel of walking in darkness and trying to find my way in life without the light of Jesus. 

The phrase, "Light of the World," took on new meaning to me that night. Today is Christmas Eve, the time we wait for that Light to come and shine on our path so we no longer need to stumble in the darkness. This Light will guide us safely home. Let 2014 be the year we share this light with others who are on a dark path.

Isaiah 60:1-7