Angels, Shepherds, and the Work of Christmas - December 25
Today’s Readings: Isaiah 9:2-7; Titus 2:11-14; Luke 2:1-14(15-20); Psalm 96
Today’s Reflection
Not only did God come down to us in an unexpected way, as a baby born in the humblest of circumstances, but God also brought the good news of this in an unexpected way to an unexpected group of people. Jesus was born to a poor, small town couple, Mary and Joseph, living under the rule of an oppressive regime, the Roman Empire. The Romans ruled their vast empire through fear and intimidation. So, if the Roman governor said, “all the world should be registered” then you’d better believe “all went to their own towns to be registered.” If the Roman regime issued a decree, you followed it.
The shepherds, too, lived in these oppressive circumstances. And then combine that with the unexpectedness of being out in the fields in the darkness of the night with their sheep and being surprised by the bright light and loud voice of the angel of the Lord. When I hear Luke’s account of this, I picture some very fearful shepherds shaking in their sandals. The angel had to reassure them, “Do not be afraid.” Because people living in darkness and oppressed by authority needed reassurance. The angel of the Lord said to them: “I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day … a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord.”
What was the shepherds’ response? As we hear in the Gospel of Luke: The shepherds “went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them.” As Sarah Snyder, the Archbishop of Canterbury’s adviser for reconciliation, reflects:
“Imagine the shock of the shepherds when their desert peace was shattered by bright lights and heavenly voices. And their surprise when they heard the words of praise, proclaiming peace instead of the unrest they knew existed beyond their campfire. How did they respond? They left their flocks to seek Jesus… The angel of the Lord did not announce the arrival of Jesus to all the world. He chose a little group of shepherds huddled around a single campfire. Then and now, the message of peace was spread person to person. From the angels to the shepherds, to the people they met on their journey, and beyond” (In this Light: Thoughts for Christmas, pp. 34-35, Justin Welby et al.).
The shepherds’ response to the good news brought to them by the angel (or messenger) of the Lord was to go and share that message with everyone they encountered. If you heard such a miraculous message, and then saw and experienced for yourself that it was true by meeting Jesus yourself, wouldn’t you want to share that message, that message of Love coming down to us, with everyone you meet?
Each Christmas, we hear that same message. Each Christmas, we meet that same baby Jesus again, face to face. And each new day we live as people who know the love of Jesus in our hearts and in our lives, we experience daily the reality of the good news that God first shared with humankind through an angel appearing to lowly shepherds, watching over their flocks by night.
How can we, like the angel of the Lord, and like the shepherds, continue to share this “good news of great joy for all the people”? How can we be more like the shepherds—who “went with haste” to see Jesus, then “made known what had been told them,” and finally went back to their own community “glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen?” One answer is found in the words of a poem by the Reverend Dr. Howard Thurman, the eminent theologian, philosopher, civil rights leader, and mentor to the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Thurman’s poem is called “The Work of Christmas,” and these are fitting words to carry with us in our hearts and minds as we go forth this day and into the year to come:
When the song of the angels is stilled,
When the star in the sky is gone,
When the kings and princes are home,
When the shepherds are back with their flock,
The work of Christmas begins:
To find the lost,
To heal the broken,
To feed the hungry,
To release the prisoner,
To rebuild the nations,
To bring peace among others,
To make music in the heart.
—Becky+
Questions for Self-Reflection
How can we continue to share this “good news of great joy for all the people”?
How can we be more like the shepherds—who “went with haste” to see Jesus, then “made known what had been told them,” and finally went back to their own community “glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen?”
Daily Challenge
Read more of how shepherds are depicted in the Bible and art or view the Visual Commentary on Scripture’s online exhibition of three painters’ visions of the adoration of the shepherds.