"What Angels & Shepherds have in Common"

Christmas Eve, Dec.24/03 Luke 2:1-20

No Way to write a Birth Announcement

When a baby's born, there's a certain standard protocol for reporting. Y'know, there are some things that people just expect to find out about. First is whether it's a girl or a boy. Second is how much it weighed. Third is who it looks like. After that, it's a little more open-ended, some overall comments like "the labour was pretty difficult" or "mother and baby are doing well, father is still recuperating" - any extra interesting details.

      Doctor Luke has written an excellent account of our Saviour's life, well-researched, complete with historical benchmarks. But somebody should have given him a form to fill out when it came to Jesus' birth. I mean, here's the appearance on the world stage of the most important human being in history, and what do we get? Not a word about what He looked like, whether He had a little scrunched-up nose or was beet purple. The doctor neglected to mention whether He was 6½ pounds or 9½ pounds - makes a bit of a difference, if you've ever had a baby yourself. Here's a genetic marvel arriving in our midst, a complete fertilized embryo without the intervention of a male parent, but Luke doesn't tell us boo about whether Jesus' face resembled Mary's or her grandfather's or no one at all. Was the labour induced by 70 miles of walking and bumping along on a donkey? So many things we're left to wonder about. And this man Luke is a professional, a physician! Anybody else want to volunteer to write up this birth announcement, so we can find out at least some of what we usually consider important?

      The Messiah is born, the pivotal figure in human history, and what do we get? Just one short verse about His actual birth, followed by 13 about angels and shepherds out in the township somewhere in a back 40 - who weren't even there when it happened! Well then, what does Doctor Luke deem IS important enough to tell us about this miracle? That Mary's son was wrapped in cloths and laid in a manger. And that the angels and shepherds seemed compelled to share some amazing news. These unlikely announcers share a common theme: that God's wonderful Salvation has arrived, despite surprising circumstances.

Wrapped, in a Manger: God's Care Overrides our Conditions

Luke does tell us Mary wrapped the baby Jesus in cloths, what's known as "swaddling". Kind of a Mideastern version of the aboriginal North American version called a "papoose". Wrapping the child up is intended to keep the baby warm, snug and secure; some believed this would protect the soft internal organs. Frankly, though, to me it smacks of a straitjacket. You're completely helpless, vulnerable, dependent. Solves the problem of Junior getting into things because he can hardly wiggle a finger, let alone pull on the tablecoth!

      The other detail Luke mentions is that His mother placed Christ in a manger, "because there was no room for them in the inn." From this we deduce this special child was born in a barn. Talk about a hostile environment for a young infant! We sanitize the stable and pretty it up for our Christmas cards and manger scenes, but actually it's no fun not having at least R12 between you and the cold night air. Throw in a few animals, damp cold air, the microscopic menagerie lining the feedbox, a little pollen or even manure in the straw, and any modern maternity ward professional would be screaming! Justin Martyr, one of the early church fathers, suggests the stable was actually a cave, a shelter for animals carved into the side of a hill. There was no room for the Messiah at the local motel. So not only do the conditions of Jesus' birth emphasize His helplessness and vulnerability through the swaddling cloths; there is already an element of rejection, the Holy Family couldn't even procure decent accommodation, not even a clean bed at Emergency.

      Why would Luke consider these details most important to include, rather than the usual scoop? The picture of a tiny baby, wrapped up and lying in a manger, is about as far as you can get from that of someone in control, say an Emperor lording it over the world through armies and ambassadors. Jesus at this point was apparently totally helpless, dependent, rebuffed and rejected by the nation whose King He was born entitled to be. Yet God was at work behind the scenes, sovereignly executing a plan down to the last detail. God is still in control, then, even when we feel helpless, and the circumstances seem to be all wrong.

      God in a mighty way was fulfilling many prophecies through the unusual conditions around Jesus' arrival. The Messiah would need to be legally a descendant of the tribe of David: both Joseph and Mary fulfilled that qualification. Growing up in Nazareth would satisfy the saying about Him being a Nazarene. Yet 700 years previously, Micah had prophesied the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. Don't forget to throw in the wrinkle from Isaiah about being born of a virgin. How would even God pull it all off? Not to mention having the child born at just the right time in the history of civilization, so that the message could spread around the world due to the universality of the Greek language and the good communications offered by the Pax Romana...No sweat: the great, mysterious Heavenly Father had it all under control. Right on schedule, Emperor Caesar Augustus issued a decree for the registration of all his subjects in their ancestral town; he had taxes and armies in mind. But God was moving the dictator's bureaucrats in Rome to set the stage for Christ's entry to fulfill prophecy over 2000 km away. This helpless babe staring peacefully out of his hastily-fashioned strips and straw was the proof that nothing is too difficult for God. Whatever God was up to in the life of this child, God was capable of bringing it about.

      God's care for us is very real even when we feel helpless, bound up, or the situation seems all wrong. Maybe tonight as you're sitting here your mind drifts to the fact that your business isn't going to show a very good year-end report; major changes are looming and you're not sure what to do. God's still in control. Or perhaps in your class everybody but you seems to be "pairing up" with a boyfriend or girlfriend; search as you can, there doesn't seem to be any suitable match you can find to even consider developing a relationship with. The Lord even now cares for you and loves you. Perhaps you're feeling bound by physical conditions: someone you love is threatened by cancer, and it's unsure how things are going to turn out. You feel powerless to affect the outcome, the physical environment has become hostile to the body of someone you care about. God's sovereignty extends beyond our bodies and this present age; His purpose for you won't be thwarted. Or perhaps age is creeping up on you, and it's becoming apparent major adjustments in your lifestyle are called for. One lady in the hospital I invited to the Christmas Worship service this past week would have gone, except she'd just found out that afternoon that she was supposed to be going into a nursing home. She said her faith was "shattered" - that's understandable, it must have been a real shock. Joseph and Mary must have been shocked to find out they'd have to relocate right around her first baby's "due date" - but God brought them safely through it, and provided all their needs, to Egypt and back again. Wrapped and helpless and laid in a drafty manger, newborn Jesus demonstrates for us that God's care overarches all our circumstances.

      Perhaps your difficulties enable you to relate to the pastor who wrote the following, as reported by John Maxwell. The pastor said, "My counselor has finally forced me to face the fact that I'm a failure in my ministry...Every program I've ever started has failed. Our evangelism explosion didn't explode; it gave an embarrassed pop and rolled over and died. I attended a Church Growth Seminar, and while I was gone six families left the church. A refugee family that we tried to sponsor refused to come - the last I heard they were seeking asylum in a Chinese restaurant in St.Louis. Whenever I try Dial-a-Prayer I get the wrong number, usually a funeral parlour or a chicken carry-out place. I tried to Dial-a-Meditation, and the tape broke after the first sentence, which was, "So things aren't going well today." Our church teams never win any games. Baseball, basketball, volleyball, shuffle-board...you name it, we've lost it. The town Little League champs challenged us and won. I am thinking of sharing all of this with our denominational leaders, but they're never around when I phone, and all their letters to me are addressed to occupant. I've been told that failure can be the back door to success, but the door seems to be locked and I can't find the key. Any suggestions?"

      There is hope, because as Dr Luke noted, even Messiahs have the lowliest of beginnings, helpless and rejected. God's care isn't limited by our circumstances.

The Assurance of the Angels and Shepherds

These days birth announcements are found in newspapers, but the night Jesus was born, God broadcasted the news through two unusual sources: angels and...shepherds?

      Angels are not too surprising to have involved, if this really is a God-thing. But even here Luke could have enlightened us with a few more details. Again, starting with the basic what did these supernatural (or extra-natural) creatures look like? I'd especially like to know if they had wings. I object to the fact that most pictures of angels show them with wings. Who ever said angels need wings? Since when does a spirit need to flap to move through our dimensions of space? The cherubim have wings in Isaiah 6, but they're different. Often angels are confused with people in other parts of the Bible, which would be a tad difficult if they had to scrunch up a 12-foot wingspan. Might confuse them with a hunchback, but not an ordinary person. But Doctor Luke's completely mute on angel anatomy.

      What he does say is that "the glory of the Lord shone around" the shepherds. Maybe it was too bright to tell if they had wings. They were really highlighting what they had to say. They were bringing "good news of great joy"; Wycliff translates, "I evangelize to you a great joy." In particular, that in the nearby royal town "a Saviour has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord." The One anointed to bring deliverance, decisive help and victory. Praising God, the heavenly host added that there would be "peace to men on whom His favour rests" - among those with whom God's pleased.

      Jews at the time longed for a Messiah for a couple of reasons. Some were waiting for a political leader to deliver them from Roman rule. Others hoped the Christ would deliver them from physical ailments, these noxious cancers and diseases that pre-empt life too often. but political bondage and physical infirmity are often symptoms, not the root problem. This Messiah came to save people from sin, and the associated death. Peace and wellness come when we experience God's grace and forgiveness in our lives through receiving and knowing Jesus, and can let His love and sacrificial caring rule in our relationships with others.

      Besides angels, Luke mentions shepherds. Two completely different orders of being. What have they to do with each other? Shepherds were viewed back then as the lowest ranks of society. They weren't even allowed to testify in court - not that women were, either. (Although women were considered of enough status to have to be registered and pay tax - which is why Mary had to accompany Joseph on the tediously long journey.) Why would God choose shepherds to be the ones who'd get the angelic message?

      It may be that they were keeping watch over the flocks that would be used for sacrifice in Jerusalem, which was close by. Perhaps the Lord was inviting them to come check out the Lamb of God who would take away the sin of the world. (Jn.1:29) Or maybe the Lord in a divine sense of humour just enjoys letting the "little guy" in on the secret first. Maybe they just happened to be available and willing - that's who you look for when there's a job to do!

      What the angels and shepherds had in common was news that invites a response. As soon as the angels left them, the shepherds said to each other that they should go and see what had happened. In turn, they became evangelists: having seen the baby, they "spread the word". They went around "praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told." Now they knew for sure that nothing was too difficult for God to bring about. Angels in the night sky? Incredible! A Saviour-baby in a manger? Unthinkable! God's favour poured out on a troubled world, divine pleasure with persons who've sinned as much as me? Amazing! Yet it was all right there in front of them, living and breathing and right on schedule, just as prophets and angels had said. How did John later describe what the shepherds saw as they looked at the face peeking through the swaddling? "We have seen His glory, glory as of the only-begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth." (Jn.1:14)

      Angels and shepherds. A tiny body lying on a carved-out shelf in a cave. Maybe Luke was thinking ahead to another scene 3 decades later. Another cave, this time nearer Jerusalem. The same body, now wrapped again motionless in strips of cloth. Again angels appearing dressed in glory. Again witnesses not accepted in human court -- this time, women. Again amazing news: not that Jesus is born, but the firstborn from the dead, truly our Saviour because His sacrifice did away with the offering of animals, and death could not hold Him captive. Maybe Luke had his reasons for reporting the way he did...

A Baby Whispers Your Name

"I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people." It started with the angels. The shepherds picked it up. Luke researched it all and carefully committed to writing for transmission around the world and down the centuries. But it doesn't end there. Today the Lord gives us the privilege of passing on the truth about the events 2000 years ago; to describe for others in our own words what those swaddling bands contained. Hands that heal. Feet that walk on water and are pierced with iron. Lips that tell us how to find peace in life, resolution of our conflicts, hope in our helplessness. A heart that loves us, even when we've denied Him. A back bloodied from the whip, bearing the load that should have been ours. A mind that He shares with those who believe in Him. A will that finds pleasure in us when we'd written ourselves off. Whether or not you figure Luke did a good job -- how are you going to tell others about the baby?

      The ministry of sharing this good news excited the shepherds and adds meaning to life for us today. A worker at a Christian radio ministry penned this poem which sums up the richness of serving Jesus, whose victory over our confinements brings release even yet. Because this didn't all just happen for angels and shepherds: it happened for you and me, too.

"Another year of ministry ends,

relieving so many of guilt and shame;

a sinner believes -- a new life begins,

because in his heart, he whispers that Name.

Another Christmas season dawns

bringing its message, ever the same:

a mother sighs, a Baby yawns,

and in His heart, He whispers your name."

Let's pray.