December 21, 2008
Get Excited: The Story of The Shepherds

Luke 2
THE SHEPHERDS AND ANGELS
8 That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep.9 Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord's glory surrounded them. They were terrified,10 but the angel reassured them. "Don't be afraid!" he said. "I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people.11 The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!12 And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger."
13 Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying,

14 "Glory to God in highest heaven,
and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased."

15 When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, "Let's go to Bethlehem! Let's see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."
16 They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger.17 After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child.18 All who heard the shepherds' story were astonished,19 but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often.20 The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them.






A small boy was told he was too young to wear a watch. But he continued to plead for one, until the whole family grew weary of his begging. Finally, his father, after explaining that he could have a watch when he was older, forbade him to mention the subject again.

The next Sunday, the children in the family – as was their custom – repeated Bible verses at the Sunday breakfast table. When it was the boy’s turn, he astonished them with a rendering of Mark 13:37: “What I say unto you, I say unto all: watch!” (Brian Bauknight, Devotions to Leave You Smiling, p. 20.)

The shepherds were keeping watch in the fields near Bethlehem. What was about to happen couldn’t have been imagined in their wildest dreams. Heaven interrupted their same-old-same-old. An angel burst onto the scene! The whole field lit up – bathed in the glory of God.

The shepherds were beside themselves – sheer panic set in. Then the angle spoke, “Don’t be afraid! I bring you good news.” What a way to bring good news. I love God’s way of delivering good news. He got the shepherds attention!

The good news first came to social outcasts - #1 on our outline. The occupation of shepherd was looked down on in Jesus’ day. It was on the low end of the Totem Pole. The work of a shepherd made the shepherd ceremonially unclean. In addition, shepherds were considered by many to be untrustworthy. And yet God interrupted earth’s busy schedule by appearing first to the shepherds – the least among humanity. What would lead God to do that? God was blowing away our preconceived notions about status and privilege. The good news came first to the undeserving and the under-privileged. God turned our elitist views on their ears. The savior who was coming was for all people – even the least of those among us!

The angels gave the shepherds a clue – a sign; when they find a baby lying in a manger wrapped in swaddling clothes – little wraps of cloth – they will have found God’s chosen. Just then, a great army of angels joined the one angel, composing a tremendous heavenly choir. They began to praise God.

The shepherds watched the angels return to heaven. What a sight that must have been. When the light dimmed, the shepherds spared no time racing into Bethlehem to see the very thing that the angels had announced. They found Christ just as the angels had said. The shepherds were on the go again – not back to the fields – but to the homes and along the byways of Bethlehem.

This leads us to #2 on our outline: The good news is meant to be shared. The shepherds instinctively knew that they must tell someone. As a matter of a fact, the shepherds told everyone that they had come across about what had happened in the field and the special reason that the child had come. The shepherds must have been bursting at the seams to share this good news. Nothing had ever happened like it before. They were full of joy. It oozed right out of them. No doubt the look on their face alone must have given away the notion that something incredible had happened. These shepherds were the first evangelists – the first heralds of the good news.

In both the Old and New Testaments, shepherds symbolize those who take care of God’s people. This news – no ordinary news – would make a huge impact upon the outlook of all the residents of the Holy Land. The Jewish people were an occupied people. A foreign army was in charge. Life was at times very brutal. Hope was coming. It would make their day!

The shepherds of Luke 2 just might symbolize all the ordinary, everyday people who joyfully receive the good news and, as a result, become lay-pastors. They gained an appetite to take care of the spiritual needs of God’s people! And it worked! Let’s take a look at #3 of our outline: The good news produces results.

All who heard the shepherd’s story were astonished. Just as the shepherds were taken by surprise by the angels, the townspeople were taken by surprise by the shepherds. Wonder and amazement filled the village. People who were sleeping were woken up. Those at work left their post. The sick and the hurting found something to look forward to beside their painful circumstances. The whole town was a buzz!

Not only did the sharing of the good news astonish those who heard, it also did something for the shepherds who shared. The shepherds finally told everyone that they could and then went back to their flocks. But they were different. The sharing of the good news changed them. They went back to the fields glorifying and praising God. Even their lowly work would never feel the same again. The sharing of the news elevated them to a new spiritual level.

The reason for existence is to make a difference. When you see the effect, it creates praise and glory. Excitement is stirred. The beauty of such behavior gives wings to the work of ministry.

“How can I ever repay you?” asked a friend of a friend who had done him a great favor. “I shall forever be indebted to you for your kindness.” “Not necessarily,” answered the friend. “If you really want to repay me, keep your eye open for somebody who needs help as badly as you did, help him, and tell him what I told you: ‘I did it on behalf of Christ my Savior.’ If you are willing to do this, I shall be fully repaid for I shall enjoy the warm feeling that someday – through you – I shall have helped a fellow I didn’t even know.” (adapted from James Hewett, Illustrations Unlimited, p. 178)

What do we, who are so far removed from this original story, do to get excited? Is it possible? Yes. We must hear the stories of how the good news is making a difference. And we must pray for the ability to share the good news, too. It is in the hearing and in the sharing that excitement builds.

Secondly, what do we do to maintain the excitement? A quick suggestion: we must sow, grow and go! We must be placed in fertile soil. We must sow deep into the word of God where we learn all about the good news – like Elijah who prayed down fire to burn up wood doused in water, like Joshua who marched Israel around Jericho and brought the walls down, like Mary Magdalene who found forgiveness at Jesus’ feet, like Peter whose shadow healed a sick man – all episodes recorded in the Bible. Then we must grow spiritually by making sure that we are Christ’s and that we nurture that relationship by having a regular conversation with him through prayer and worship. Finally, we must go – asking God to open the door in sharing the good news of what Christ has done and is doing. We have something that the shepherds did not have – the very presence of the Holy Spirit living inside of us. The saved are plugged in to the power of heaven!

Lost on a back road in Alabama, a motorist asked the way to Montgomery. An old farmer sitting on the fence looked down the road, scratched his head, and gave explicit instructions. Half an hour later, after carefully following the farmer’s directions, the motorist found himself back at the starting point. The farmer was still sitting on the fence in placid contemplation of the landscape.

“Hey, what’s the idea?” the motorist demanded. “I did just what you told me, and look where I a wound up!” “Well, young feller,” the farmer explained, “I didn’t aim to waste my time telling you how to get to Montgomery until I found out if you could follow simple directions.” (Brian Bauknight, Devotions to Leave You Smiling, p. 15.)

It just may be that God won’t disclose more until we learn to follow His simple directions. When we show Him we are capable of carrying out the little things, He will give us so much more!