WHAT WAS IT LIKE TO BE A SHEPHERD…

Joseph and Mary are pretty well known characters. But not a lot is said about the shepherds. So what do we know?

STANDING IN SOCIETY: Low societal status, not much respect. They were outcasts. Kept from the mainstream.

MORAL CHARACTER: Many considered untrustworthy, shifty

JOB…BORING, MUNDANE: very routine, maintenance, same pattern, dirty

NO EDUCATION& NO REAL HOPE OF CAREER ADVANCEMENT

IN THE EYES OF RELIGIOUS FOLK: Their work made them ceremonially unclean

NOT VERY RELIGIOUS: the very nature of their profession kept them from regular worship in the Temple but even if they wanted, due to their unclean status. they would not have been allowed in the temple. And yet, when we come to the Christmas story, the shepherds did play a key role in the whole account. The angel appeared to them and told them some incredible news. They were challenged to go find Jesus, to meet the savior of the world, the promised Messiah. And they did find him!

KEY THOUGHT…

"The same Jesus the shepherds found, can be found by you…today."

God went all out in revealing himself to Joseph, Mary and even to the lowly shepherds. He has done the same for us. If you will respond to him today…your life could be changed…forever.

MIKE'S STORY...

I was 6 years old, living in Bedford, Texas. I was brought up in a good home, with parents that loved me and two sisters (one my twin and the other a year younger than me) who basically put up with me! I remember a night in my life that would have an eternal affect on me; the night I found Jesus. My parents, Cecil and Becky, asked all 3 kids to come to the living room so that they could talk to us. Dad sat on the sofa with mom close by and all 3 of us kids were on the floor at their feet. Honestly, I don’t remember word for word what my dad and mom said to us that night, but I do know that what they said changed my life, forever. My dad had a little plastic glove, the “good news glove” he called it. He walked through the colors and the fingers, explaining to us each one’s significance, making sure we understood before he moved on to the next color. He explained to us the concept of sin, and how all the bad things we had done had separated us from God because of his holiness. He explained Jesus’ life and death, and how his death on the cross was the solution to our sin problem. He explained forgiveness and how it was offered to me, if I would receive it. He eventually made his way through the whole glove and then asked us a very simple question. I don’t know the exact words, but it was something like...do you want to ask Jesus to forgive you and to become your savior? That night, at 6 years old, on my living room floor, I said yes, and like the shepherds, I found Jesus that night. Unlike the shepherds, there was no angelic announcement, no bright visible light shining, and no trumpets…just two loving parents, two sisters, a plastic glove and a call to receive Jesus as my savior. In my own little 6 year old way, I did that. There have been many times since then that I have met him in different, meaningful, life changing ways, but it started in Bedford, Texas when I was 6 years old. The same Jesus the shepherds found was made known to me…and I believed and received him as my Savior.

OUR STORY...

You see, all of us have different stories about our own encounters with Jesus.

- Some of us have heard the message of Jesus, received it and are experiencing great joy and satisfaction in our relationship with God.
- Some of us are on a journey. We have had ‘religious’ experiences, gained knowledge of Jesus, but still are wrestling with the concept of a personal relationship with him.
- And some of us are still finding ourselves in the dark. Not sure of the trustworthiness of religion, the bible or even the existence of God.

But, this is the truth about Jesus. I know, because I have found him.

THE SHEPHERDS STORY...

You have heard my story, we have considered yours, so why don’t we take a closer look at the shepherds story from the Bible, it is the classic Christmas story read year after year in many churches and homes, even in one of my favorite Christmas movies, “A Charlie Brown Christmas”. It is found in Luke 2:8-20.

[vs 8-9] —> THE ANGEL APPEARS…

- Let’s stop for just a second and set the scene. Shepherds are outside, doing what they do, watching the sheep, protecting them, and probably talking to each other, maybe eating or singing. It was just a normal night. Until…an angel of the Lord appeared. Whoa.
- Okay. Put yourself in their shoes…or sandals…let’s imagine you and your family are out camping; somewhere beautiful. It is dark, only the light of a campfire glowing, maybe you guys are talking, roasting some marshmallows, singing some songs…then all of a sudden, an angel appears. Brilliant light is shining all around. Now that would be a camping trip no one would soon forget. “Hey remember that year that you burned the marshmallows real bad, oh yeah and didn’t an angel or something show up? Anyway, the marshmallow thing was pretty funny.”
- No way, they will remember the angel showing up…it is big stuff. I can honestly say, this has never happened to me. I am confident this had never happened to them either.

** THE GLORY OF THE LORD…
- Luke said that the Glory of the Lord shone around them…in other words, a brilliant light lit up the darkness, like nothing they had ever seen before. It was the visible sign of God’s presence.

- This is the same glory that appeared in the tabernacle.
[Exodus 40:34-35]
“34 Then the cloud covered the Tent of Meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. 35 Moses could not enter the Tent of Meeting because the cloud had settled upon it, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.”

- This is the same glory that appeared in the temple.
[1 Kings 8:11]
“And the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD filled his temple.”

- For more than 500 years the nation of Israel had been without that visible sign of God’s presence among His people and now the glory for which Israel had waited was revealed to simple shepherds in the fields, not to the priests in the temple.

- The shepherds were terrified…and rightly so. Evidently, they recalled God’s word to Moses:
[Exodus 33:20] “…for no one may see me and live."

[vs 10-12] —> DON’T BE AFRAID…

- This is the Christmas message. Here it is…good news of great joy…for whom, all people; me and you. A savior has been born to you. He is Christ the Lord Here we have an Angel (the highest of the high) talking to shepherds (the lowest of the low)…and then suddenly…

[vs 13-14] —> HOST OF ANGELS…

- Now you not only have one angel, but a host, an army of them. I wonder how loud it was, echoing in the sky, can you imagine? Even after the angel said don’t be afraid, I bet they still were trying to figure out what was happening before them.
- Peace to men [not an absence of war] but peace has come; man has been reconciled to God through their savior, Jesus Christ.

[vs 15-16] —> SHEPHERDS FIND JESUS…[BELIEVE]

- Okay, the shepherds go from terrified to curious. It says they hurried (with haste), but I have to think they were like…“Dude…did you see that?” (Of course in Hebrew!) Their curiosity said…“Let’s go see this thing that has happened…”
- And they took off, hurried, ran, excited…and after looking through several stables, came to a place where they found Jesus…exactly as the angel had said. (Wrapped in swaddling cloths/lying in a manger)
- What a moment that must have been for them. How excited they must have been…“Okay, good, we are not out of our minds, angels did say it, and look; here he is…just like they said. Then what did they do…

[vs 17-18] —> SHEPHERDS TELL OTHERS ABOUT JESUS…

- They remembered this is for “all the people”. So “They spread the word to everyone”…they went out and the people were amazed at this incredible “good news”.

Who did kings use to herald their messages?
We’ve seen it in the movies, the days of kings and knights. The messenger would venture from the castle into the village, and before the townsfolk, he would let the trumpeters blow out a fanfare. Then the appointed reader would roll out the scroll and loudly proclaim: “hear ye, hear ye.” People knew this was important. Even now, in the United States, the President has a Press Secretary, who calls a press conference. Finely dressed in a suit and tie or fancy dress, they approach a podium with a seal of the president prominently displayed. Then, reading from a script, they tell the press what the word from the White House is. Athletes, actors, recording artists do the same….

But what does God do?
He picks shepherds to be his earthly messengers. I find that really interesting, refreshing and somewhat comforting. He uses all types of people to share his story of grace and mercy.

[vs 19-20] —> THEY WENT BACK TO SHEPHERDING…

- Now look what happens. They go back to shepherding. This is real life. They are shepherds and they stay shepherds. But as they go back to their flocks, their lives were changed forever.
- That’s how encounters with God work. I can’t imagine that much “glorifying and praising God” took place in a shepherd’s normal workday. And yet some amazing things happened in their lives that day. They found Jesus…the Messiah…the savior of the world.

** So…here we are, December of 2024 in Wasilla, Alaska...

- There are no visible angelic hosts proclaiming news to you, no bright lights, the brilliant manifestation of the glory of God, but a story that is just as true today as it was when it really happened, in Bethlehem, to those shepherds. A savior has been born to you, he is Christ the Lord.

- Sometimes we forget, in the repeated, familiar stories of Christmas time, the incredible news that has been delivered to us. We have a savior. We can be forgiven. He has made it available to all people, and that includes you.

- In this simple moment, God has reminded us of some incredible news. It requires us to respond to Him. The angel said his name shall be called Immanuel…God with us. And he is, right now, in our presence.

#1…The birth of Jesus is GOOD NEWS… IT IS NEWS OF GREAT JOY FOR US…FOR YOU!
This isn’t just a christmas story, it is a message sent by angels and shepherds and a guy named Pastor Mike, to you…a savior has been born to forgive you of your sins and make things right between you and God!
—>Q: Are you hearing the Good News today?

#2…To experience the GREAT JOY that comes from this GOOD NEWS… WE HAVE TO BELIEVE IT IS TRUE!
The Shepherds heard the good news, and then went and looked for Jesus…they believed the message that was told to them and then they found Him when they went looking for him
--> Q: Will you believe? Will you look for him? Have you found him? || He is not far from you…

#3…This news is so good… WE HAVE TO TELL OTHERS ABOUT IT
The natural response for the Shepherds was to tell others about Jesus…we should do the same!
--> Q: Who is your ONE? Are you telling them the good news about Jesus?

#4…The most important part of this news isn’t just about us… WE SHOULD GIVE GLORY AND PRAISE TO GOD FOR HIS GIFT
We talk a lot about Glorifying God here at Creekside. It is one of our three core values…It means that we worship him, praise him, give credit to him for all that he has done, thanking him for his love and mercy and grace shown to us through Jesus

--> Don’t forget in this crazy, busy season, to give glory to God…whisper a prayer, shout a thank you, but don’t forget all of this is about him, for him and to him!

I would like to give you a chance to respond to God…

- Maybe you have found him, and you are enjoying favor with God…Maybe you need to just take a few minutes and thank him. Thank him for revealing his grace to you, for opening your eyes and for drawing you to himself. Glorify and praise him as the shepherds did…and then tell this good news to your ONE!

- Maybe you know him, but you have drifted…You have allowed sin in your life to just pile up. He hasn’t moved, you have…and you know it. His grace is enough…he still loves you and has forgiven you. Run back to him, turn from your sin and he will restore the joy of your salvation…Good News of Great Joy!

- Maybe you have never taken the step to give complete control of your life over to God…Right now would be a great time to do that just like I did when I was 6 years old. What is keeping you from turning it all over, today? He is pursuing you. He loves you and is offering you forgiveness, grace and eternal life through Jesus Christ. Will you acknowledge and confess your sin before him and allow him to forgive you? Today could be your new beginning.

PRAYER, REFLECTION AND COMMUNION...

“Today, in the town of David a Savior has been born to YOU; He is Christ the Lord”

—> TAKE A MINUTE TO THANK HIM, RESPOND TO HIM WITH PRAISE
—> WHAT IS JESUS SAYING TO YOU TODAY?
—> WHAT IS JESUS ASKING YOU TO DO?
—> WHO IS YOUR ONE THAT JESUS IS CALLING YOU TO SHARE THIS GOOD NEWS?