Christmas Shepherds and Us

Christmas is a powerful reminder that what is important in heaven is often unimportant on earth. 
While the world was sleeping, the Son of God made His grand entrance, with little to no fan fare. If I was to try gathering people to sing Christmas praises in the middle of Court House on Christmas Eve, something tells me the clip board would be passed from hand to hand, with few signatures. I would guess that most people would choose matters they deem more important.
Yet, when the call went out for the angels to join the heavenly choir on the night Jesus was born, there wasn’t a celestial being that was even tempted to miss the ministry. When the Bible describes the band of holy crooners as a host, it means there were too many to count. Can you imagine the view the shepherds had as they attended the greatest concert held this side of glory?
In reality, God brought the big show to them.
Shepherds in a nearby field were showered with an angel song, but what makes it amazing was that many more could have sung along.
Caesar Augustus should have been there, but he wasn’t. Herod should have been there, but he, too, wasn’t. The religious Pharisees should have been there, but weren’t.
Joseph and Mary’s family should have been there to support their baby, but they were too ashamed to associate with the blacklisted couple. Who showed up to the birthday party when nobody else could fit Jesus into their schedules?
The Lord, who is our Shepherd, made sure that those who had experience tending sheep would get the first glimpse of majesty in the manger.
For 400 years, God was silent. No prophets or angels appeared, and nothing miraculous occurred daily. Then, suddenldly, on a clear midnight, the heavens couldn’t and wouldn’t stay quiet, and the top story came to the people you’d least expect to employ as your messengers of great news.
That is, unless of course, you were a shepherd yourself.
Public relations professionals get big money working hard at securing opportunities to get their guests in front of millions of eyeballs. I’m sure they would have worked tirelessly to get Jesus on Oprah, Ellen, Dr. Phil or the Wizard of Oz, for that matter.
When God announced the birth of Jesus to the world, He used the opposite approach. He didn’t send Jesus to 30 Rock, but sent the host of heaven to a common field outside Bethlehem.
The people He chose as His spokesmen were the unpolished, sweaty and uncouth shepherds. If you are a student of the Bible, you wouldn’t expect God to do it another way. I’m glad God loves the underdogs.
There is something significant and powerful about the inclusion of shepherds in Jesus’ story.
Luke is reminding us, by mentioning the shepherds, that the kingdom of God isn’t only for the rich, famous and religious bigwigs. Jesus came for those that were on the outside looking in.
Jesus sought to save the broken, battered, and defeated lost sinners, like you and me. If you are ever going to truly celebrate him, which is what the word “Christmas” means, you will have to stop looking in the wrong places. Maybe, we should look in the faces of his followers.
I have made my decision to stand by my Savior, regardless of where He may be found. Jesus invites people of every tongue, tribe, nation and background to follow Him. When you decide to truly hang out with the One who was born in that manger 2000 years ago, you might see aspects that you never expected to discover about the Lord.
While Jesus loathed prostitution, He still loved prostitutes. Jesus knew the whole tax collecting system was corrupt and unjust, and yet, He purposely sought Matthew and Zacchaeus.
His stand was against the sin doing human beings in, but He never alienated lost sheep that desperately needed to find their way home. God still moves in those mysterious and miraculous ways, even today.
People are not the enemy. For too long, today’s church has been playing a game of “us against them.” Contrary to popular opinion, we wrestle not against flesh and blood. People are the ones the Creator of all humanity has called and empowered us to love.
Love your family, friends, and yes, even love those who are nothing like you. God loved us while we were running the other way. He didn’t wait until we cleaned up our act to know Him, instead, He knew we would be powerless to do that on our own.
Only God can change a heart and transform a life. What good is it if all the believers remove themselves and run and hide from the pool of humanity that Jesus came to die for?
I shudder when Christians become holier than thou to the point that they forget that without the grace of God, we, too, would still be wandering in circles of chaos and confusion. What virtue is it if Jesus said He is the way, and yet, we, who represent Him, keep blocking the path to get to Him?
There is insurmountable joy in Heaven when we earthly shepherds leave behind the 99 already found, to fervently seek and lead home the one that got away. Who needs to be pursued by you with the love of God this December?
Christmas is about a Shepherd who left the comforts of glory to find the lost lambs that could not have been rescued another way.
When the shepherds left their flocks that night, to see what the angels had told them, they discovered the baby wrapped in cloths, lying in a manger. Do you know who else wrapped their babies in cloths and put them to sleep in a feeding trough? The shepherds did, of course.
When the shepherds saw the Messiah, they could relate to him instantly, as he was like them, and he was there for them. Maybe, this Christmas is the right time to finally get the story straight.
We don’t have to become who we are not to be loved by God. God came to love us as we are, and then transform us into who we would never be without Him. Could it be that the best Christmas present is finding our hope and future in His Presence?
Stop looking around, look up Dec. 25,  and see what too many missed 2000 years ago. God so loved the world that He gave us His one and only Son, and whoever believes in Him will have everlasting life. Merry Christmas, and Happy Birthday Jesus.
ED. NOTE: The author is the senior pastor of The Lighthouse Church, 1248 Route 9 South, Court House.