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Join the Shepherds

The Rev Thomas W. Simmons IV

It's a difficult thing preaching on Christmas Eve.  The Christmas stories are so familiar.  We've heard these stories since we were children and we revisit them every year.  There is so much that could be said and so much that has already been said, it leaves a guy wondering what he's going to actually say!

Well fear not, since it is Scripture we are talking about, we know there is always something new to be discovered there.  So let's see what we can find in this story that we know so well.

As St. Luke tells it, the story begins with the great emperor Caesar Augustus who ordered a census of all the people in the world. Within the province of Syria, there is a young couple, expecting to give birth to their first child.  Their names are Joseph and Mary. 

Obeying the command of the emperor, this family makes the trek to their hometown of Bethlehem. Finding it crowded and not particularly hospitable, they bed down for the night in a stable, where the child is born and nestled in the straw of a feeding trough for livestock.

Lest we miss the importance of this seemingly insignificant event, God sent an angel to announce what has taken place.  The angel comes to a shivering band of shepherds on some godforsaken hillside, trying to keep their flocks together at night.  Suddenly they find themselves bathed in glorious light and addressed in a very loud, angelic voice.  You can understand why they were terrified.

Once the angel has their attention, he announces that the child just born is none other than the Messiah, the long awaited One who will deliver his people from oppression and free them from the distorting power of sin and death.

Then, as the wide-eyed shepherds sit there in stunned amazement, the entire choir of heaven, the multitude of the heavenly host appears and rejoices at the news.  The time has finally come! 

Obviously something big has just happened, so the shepherds hurry along to see the child and report all that they have seen and heard. 

That's the Christmas story.  It is so simple, so familiar and yet there are also some surprises in it.  What strikes me are its sharp contrasts. 

It starts with the great Caesar Augustus, the emperor of the known world, the most powerful man on earth.  But very quickly the focus moves from him to a baby born in a stable to parents too poor and insignificant to find a place at an inn.  This helpless infant is born to be Savior of the world.

What a surprise! If you were in the enviable position of making plans to save the world, would you use a poor little infant? Probably not.  We would probably look for some great politician or court or bureaucracy – or new Majority Leader - to save us.  And yet, the true Messiah was not born to wealth, privilege or power - and he wasn't a politician! 

The second striking contrast I see is in the announcement of Jesus' birth.  It is only fitting that the good news should be carried by a multitude of angels.  This was news that the world had waited thousands of years to hear.  But what is striking is that it was delivered to a grimy bunch of shepherds. 

What a surprise! If you were going to announce to the world the news of the Savior's birth, would you come first to shepherds? Probably not.  We'd more likely prefer to make the announcement at the United Nations or a joint session of Congress or on the Larry King Live show. 

I think we see a pattern here.  God acts in very surprising ways.  He defies our expectations and does not conform to the conventional wisdom.  His way of doing things is often very different from the ways we do things.

It's important to remember this during the Christmas season.  What started as a celebration of the birth of Christ has become the season of retailing and advertising, of busily shopping and decorating and cooking and wrapping presents and mailing cards and traveling and preparing for guests.  It wears me out just thinking about it!  Thank goodness it is almost over!

In the midst of all the clatter and hustle and bustle it is very easy to forget the reason for the season, to miss the simple, surprising truth.  So tonight, I invite you to join those shepherds who were so surprised and overcome by the good news.  Just as they gathered around the manger, so you have come here tonight. 

What brought you here?  We all have our reasons.  Maybe it was out of habit: you come to most worship services at St Peter's, so naturally you come to this one too. Maybe it was out of special love for this time of year: you love singing Silent Night, Holy Night at the end of the service. 

Maybe you are here because a friend or family member invited you and you decided to check it out. Or maybe you are here like last year, because you feel you should come to church at least once a year. Frankly, that's how I grew up. Or maybe you are here because you are seeking some meaning, some peace, some answer to prayer, some transcendence from God. 

Whatever the reason, I invite you to join with the lowly shepherds tonight at the manger in which is laid a helpless infant, the Savior of the world, your Savior. 

We all have certain things we love about Christmas.  Anyone who has known me for a while knows that I love receiving gifts - I'll be honest. 

It is said that Jesus was the first Christmas gift ever given.  He is the most valuable gift of all.  Through him God gives us his love, forgiveness for the petty, self-aggrandizing ways we live our lives, freedom from the things that bind us and the things we fear.  We also receive a calling to live life not for narrow selfish purposes but for God and others. 

Tonight is your opportunity to receive the gift that God has given you.

But Christmas isn't just for receiving, but also for giving.  Just as God gave his Son, he calls all of us to give ourselves in return, to yield and surrender to his will, his love and his guidance and provision. You have opportunity to do that tonight as we confess our sins.  As you do, give yourself to God as Jesus gave himself for you. 

As you come forward to receive communion - it is open to all baptized - as you receive the gift of Christ's body and blood, give yourself to him, your body, your life, your hidden past, and your fears and dreams for the future.  Offer it all to him as a Christmas gift this Christmas Eve. 

Like those shepherds so long ago, you might find yourselves filled with surprise and awe by the result.  AMEN.