Sunday December 8, 2024 | Greg Boyd
And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” Then the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.
In this sermon, Greg examines the story of the angelic appearance to the shepherds and its meaning for Jesus and for us. We see how God comes for the marginalized and includes the outcasts into the redemption of all things.
Shepherds, in the time of the New Testament, had one of the most challenging and marginalizing jobs in that society. They had to care for animals which were crucial to the well-being of the community, but they were viewed as disparaged low-lifes. Those who took this job usually had few other options. Yet, the angels appeared to them to announce that Jesus was born. They were told that he would be lying in a livestock feeding trough in a small town called Bethlehem. These outcasts were a private audience of the announcement of God’s greatest action, and they were invited to see what God was doing.
We must ask why God chose shepherds to witness the birth of the Messiah. Normally when a king is born, the powerful are invited. By inviting shepherds, God is saying “these are my people.” One of the most dominant themes throughout the Bible is that God is on the side of those who are on the bottom of the social hierarchy. Correspondingly, God stands against those at the top of the social hierarchy who don’t care about the plight of those toward the bottom. This is illustrated by Mary’s song in Luke 1:31-33. Mary is proclaiming that this current world system, which allows for massive economic inequities, where the rich exploit the poor, is going to come down when Jesus appears at the end of the age and establishes God’s eternal kingdom.
This implies three things. First, we need to learn to let go of the need to climb the social hierarchy. This system is passing away, and we can let go of it now or we can let go of it later. But it will not last because the only thing that lasts is love. Secondly, understand that God sees you. No one is invisible to God, even if you find yourself in the margins or lonely. God is pursuing each of us with his love. Third, see others as God sees them. We are not to see others through a worldly point of view, which ranks others according to their benefit to society. Christ died for all and we can see others in the way that God sees.
As we embrace these three implications, we are accepting the invitation given to the shepherds because we are entering into the life that Jesus came to offer the world.