The
narrative this morning carries on from where we left off last night, with some
unlikely characters, with unlikely news.
The shepherds are, literally, minding their own business, out in the fields,
when a messenger from God Almighty is standing before them, with glory shining
like the best pyrotechnic show anyone could imagine.
Is it any wonder they were terrified?
I picture these poor souls shading their eyes, adrenaline coursing through
their veins, trying to figure out what is happening and what they're meant to
do about it. It's surreal; it's supernatural; it goes beyond their capacity to
comprehend.
And the angel begins - as angels often begin - with those words of
comfort: Do Not Be Afraid.
Now, in my experience of reading the bible, these words happen for two very
distinct reasons. And it's not because the heavenly host has startled someone
by popping into this realm with a divine message.
Reason #1: "Do not be afraid" always preceded something that was,
well, fear-inducing. It meant change - in a big way. Something HUGE was going
to happen, and the world was going to look different, and BE different.
And reason #2: this is an assurance that despite the change, and uncertainty,
God was with those who received the message. They are comforted, and protected,
by the holiest of holies. So do not be afraid.
I think this is why the shepherds are still standing there, receiving the
message, instead of running away as fast as they can.
They believe. They listen. They hear.
What they hear is miraculous news; unexpected and unlikely and unprecedented.
The Messiah has been born into the lowest of circumstances.
And the shepherds take that in, delight in it, and change their lives because
of it. So with the comfort of NOT being afraid, off they trek, abandon their
flocks, and journey by night (not the ideal time to travel), into the city, to
visit Mary and Joseph and the baby (yet unnamed, by Jewish custom). And they
tell these people, these strangers, this young family, what they have been
told.
Naturally, everyone was amazed. How could they not be?
The great thing is what happens as a result of what those shepherds said:
Mary pondered these things in her heart: the shepherds just verified the truth
she had told Joseph 9 months previous.
They validated what Joe had trusted from his fiancée.
They supported the accounting of the relationship, that Joseph had told his
family.
They authenticated the ministry for that young couple, as they would face unfathomable
challenges of being new parents in tumultuous times.
So the holy family, and all who would have ears, also received the good news,
through these shepherds. God wanted the good news to be shared as broadly as
possible, even in unexpected ways and from surprising sources.
Interestingly, while we recognise the importance of the shepherds in the story,
we really don't know anything about them: their names, their families, who they
were before the angel's proclamation, or what impact it had on their lives
after that night.
And today - in this sacred space, we have also heard these angelic words.
So it's up to us to decide for ourselves: What will we do with that message?
How will we respond to the good news? Who will we tell? How will we joyously
share this truth in today's world - into our world?
Imagine the goodness yet to come from our telling the old old story in new,
life-changing ways - perhaps even to a stranger who needs to hear it.
The message is for us: to hear, to believe, to share.
I pray we hear the Christmas invitation, as we go our own way, to celebrate the
birth of the Christ child, glorifying and praising God for all we have seen and
heard.
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