Most of you have probably watched, at one time or another, ACharlie Brown’s Christmas. Iwant to remind you of a conversation between Charlie Brown and Linus that happens in that story;
Charlie Brown: Isn't there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about?
Linus: Sure, Charlie Brown, I can tell you what Christmas is about. Lights Please! Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!" watch over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger." And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!" That's what Christmas is all about Charlie Brown!
The theologian Linus Van Pelt seems to consider the appearance of angels to the shepherds the most important part of the Christmas story. Maybe it is. This morning I invite you to join me in focusing on these supporting actors in the drama. We all know something about Mary, Joseph, and hopefully we know quite a bit about Jesus. But what do we know about the shepherds in the field? In many ways, they are the strangers in the story of the birth of Jesus.
What can we learn from these strangers? First of all, keep in mind that as shepherds, these were poor men, considered low class in the culture of their time. In today’s world, they might be the equivalent of parking lot attendants. Add to this the fact that according to Jewish law, because they worked in the field and with livestock, they were considered unclean. Before they could enter the temple, they were required to undergo a purification process. The shepherds were low on the totem pole within Jewish society.
Yet, these shepherds are the ones chosen to be given the announcement of the birth of the Messiah. God did not chose the kings or the philosophers or the scholars or the high priests to be the first to hear this announcement. He chose ordinary poor shepherds, watching their flock at night.
In the bible, we consistently see God showing a bias in favor of the poor, the disenfranchised and the oppressed. When Jesus called his disciples, he selected selected regular folk. Mary tells us of Jesus’ mission in the Magnificat:
He has cast down the mighty from their thrones and lifted up the lowly.
This does not exclude the educated and wealthy, of course. On the Feast of the Epiphany, we will celebrate the arrival of the Magi, learned men from the East, who arrive in Bethlehem to honor the Christ child. Among Jesus followers, we find Nicodemus, a prominent Jewish leader, and Joseph of Arimethea, and wealthy man who gave Jesus his tomb. But notice that the host of angels proclaim the birth of the Christ child first to ordinary shepherds.
Maybe some of us today feel like we are just regular folk in God’s kingdom. We’re not all that special. Maybe we feel like we don’t have much to offer God. We’d never imagine that god would show us favor, or give us a special mission. If that describes you, I encourage you to consider the shepherds. God may surprise you, as he has a blatant bias in favor of ordinary folks like you and me.
How did the shepherds respond to suddenly seeing the sky filled with an angelic chorus? Our Gospel lesson tells us:
When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us." (Luke 2:8 and 15)
They left their sheep behind, and made their way to Bethlehem. This in itself was amazing. Their job, their primary vocation, was to watch the sheep. But now they found themselves charged with an even more important mission; to be witnesses to the birth of the savior of the world.
Notice what has happened here. One definition of “Angel” is a messenger from God. In one sense, these shepherds have become angels. In the stable, where Jesus was born, there were no angelic choirs, there was no celestial fanfare. A woman gave birth among the livestock, with her husband standing by and helping when he could. A very humble scene. A rather ordinary scene for those times. What makes this drama become extraordinary is the arrival of the shepherds, who tell the mother and her husband what Has happened to them in the field. Ordinary shepherds become the messengers of God, and transform an ordinary domestic scene into a powerful drama that has transformed the world.
We who have encountered the living God have also been given a new vocation; a new mission. We are called to be angels, to be the messengers of God, and proclaiming to the world the Good News, that there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. The perception that there was a chasm between heaven and earth was refuted once and for all. Heaven and earth are seen to be joined. The Kingdom of God is at hand!
And finally, notice what these shepherd angels do when they finally take their leave;
The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.
The events of that night transformed the lives of these shepherds. They glorified and praised God. We can assume that they continued to praise God every day for the rest of their lives. Not just the next day, or the day after that. Not just until the end of the season on January 6.
We need to remember that today we are not just remembering an event that happened thousands of years ago. Jesus Christ is born today! It is the living God, who is born anew in each of our hearts on this day that we celebrate. Cgristmas doesn’t end when the stocking and decorations are put away. We continue to praise God every day of our lives for dwelling among us and within us.
We ordinary folk are given a new mission this day. We are called to become a host of angels, proclaiming to the world, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!"
