December 24 & 25, 2014: Birth of Jesus & the Visit of the Shepherds

Luke 2:1-14, [15-20]

 In those days Caesar Augustus declared that everyone throughout the empire should be enrolled in the tax lists. ² This first enrollment occurred when Quirinius governed Syria. ³ Everyone went to their own cities to be enrolled. ⁴ Since Joseph belonged to David’s house and family line, he went up from the city of Nazareth in Galilee to David’s city, called Bethlehem, in Judea. ⁵ He went to be enrolled together with Mary, who was promised to him in marriage and who was pregnant. ⁶ While they were there, the time came for Mary to have her baby. ⁷ She gave birth to her firstborn child, a son, wrapped him snugly, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the guestroom.

⁸ Nearby shepherds were living in the fields, guarding their sheep at night. ⁹ The Lord’s angel stood before them, the Lord’s glory shone around them, and they were terrified.

¹⁰ The angel said, “Don’t be afraid! Look! I bring good news to you—wonderful, joyous news for all people. ¹¹ Your savior is born today in David’s city. He is Christ the Lord. ¹² This is a sign for you: you will find a newborn baby wrapped snugly and lying in a manger.” ¹³ Suddenly a great assembly of the heavenly forces was with the angel praising God. They said, ¹⁴ “Glory to God in heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors.”

¹⁵ When the angels returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go right now to Bethlehem and see what’s happened. Let’s confirm what the Lord has revealed to us.” ¹⁶ They went quickly and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger. ¹⁷ When they saw this, they reported what they had been told about this child. ¹⁸ Everyone who heard it was amazed at what the shepherds told them. ¹⁹ Mary committed these things to memory and considered them carefully. ²⁰ The shepherds returned home, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. Everything happened just as they had been told.

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There I was, driving down the freeway, looking for the right exit.  I was on a tight schedule and missing my turn-off had the potential to be disastrous to my carefully planned day.  Just when I thought I had missed it and gone too far, I saw a familiar sign out of the corner of my eye: “Washington Street.”  In split second I was in the exit lane, and in the blink of an eye, I was off the freeway. It was only then that I noticed I was on “Worrington Avenue.”

There are times when we are under a great deal of stress and amid a plenty of distractions, and because of this we completely miss important details. This can certainly happen at this time of year!  Surrounded by parties, plans, presents, and pictures; preoccupied with all sorts of details pertaining to this season, our minds sail right past this story, or at least some key details in it.  When hearing or reading a story like this, it’s important to pause every now and then, to see what’s going on.

Let’s pause almost before we get started. Verses one and two of this reading introduce some “movers and shakers” in the ancient world: the Emperor of the Roman Empire and a Provincial Governor of that Empire.  The mention of their names is significant for two reasons: first to put the birth Jesus’ within a certain historical context and, second, it helps remind us that Jesus’ ministry will truly change the world.  How many devoted followers of Augustus are there out there? Run into any Quirinius Fan Clubs lately? And yet over one third of the world’s population today is named after the baby born in obscurity and laid in a manger. 

Our next pause comes with the very first words from the “Lord’s angel:” “DON’T BE AFRAID!” There are plenty of depictions of angels that show them as cute little babies with wings.  Angels in the Bible, however, are powerful and imposing figures who will make you quake in your shoes (or sandals).  It is no coincidence that the first words out of most angels who appear in the New Testament are “Don’t be afraid!” That is quite possibly be because a person’s natural reaction to seeing such an overwhelming figure is absolute terror. It’s as if an angel appears, has people cringe, hide or shout out in fear, and then say, “I get that a lot.”

And one other pause: verse 18 says that “Everyone who heard it was amazed at what the shepherds told them.” I’m sure that included Mary and Joseph as well. Can you imagine what the last few days have been like for them? Trying to make their way through a strange (to them) town, placing their newborn son in a manger…and now there are strange people who approach them with news of angels.  Notice that Mary and Joseph don’t get to see or hear the angels: they get the story from the shepherds.  That first Christmas must have been an overwhelming time indeed.

When we hear familiar stories from the Bible, whether it be David and Goliath, Daniel and the Lion’s Den, Jesus teaching about the Good Samaritan or Prodigal Son, or this well-known story of Jesus’ birth, it’s very important to go SLOWER than usual.  Who knows what we might miss?