Luke 2:8-20
The season of Advent is drawing to a close. Our time of preparation is near an end. Indeed, we are about as ready as we’re going to be to celebrate the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ… our Emmanuel. As George Frederic Handel might say, “Hallelujah”!
In today’s passage, an angel of the Lord announces the good news to shepherds keeping their flocks by night. These sheep herders were understandably terrified at first. They listened to the angel, went to Bethlehem to see for themselves and then spread the news.
The life of those shepherds must not have been easy. A colleague who worked with sheep as a young person described them as, “The dumbest animals on earth.” As today’s visual illustrates, these herders were out in the elements, enduring and doing what was necessary as they cared for the flock.
These shepherds were the audience for that very first Christmas. These were people that Jesus related to. When he told the parable of the lost sheep, that was a story that would resonate with these shepherds. In what was likely a hard and simple life, what an amazing surprise that first Christmas must have been!
Our experience is different. We have the advantage of knowing what tomorrow holds. We have been able to prepare and make ready. We are unlikely to be terrified by any visiting angels this evening. For most of us, there is almost a routine of knowing what to expect and how Christmas will unfold for us. Is it even something of a self-fulfilling prophecy?
These shepherds could go to Bethlehem and SEE for the first time the Christ child that came into their world all those years ago. They then shared the story. We hear that same story and it’s now up to us to invite the Christ child into our world and into our lives. Let us be open to how God presents this miracle into our lives this year.
A blessed Christmas to each and all! For tomorrow and in all the days that follow, let us live into the good news and embrace the Christ child who brought a new covenant. Let us accept Jesus’ invitation to transform us and our world into closer alignment with God.
PRAYER: God, thank you for the gift of Jesus anew in our lives and in the world. As we experience again the the miracle of His birth, let us not just hear the same old story but instead look with a sense of wonder to find Jesus and more fully embrace that perfect light that is the peace He brings, both for ourselves and for the world. Amen.
PROMPT: How will I experience the joy of Christmas this year? How will I allow Christmas to change and transform my life?