In Biblical times, shepherds were looked down upon. They were nomadic wanderers who were always ceremonially unclean. Like prostitutes and tax collectors, they were frequently in contact with people, land, and things that were considered unclean. They were immersed in uncleanliness- so completely that being clean again seemed impossible. Like lepers and others who were unclean, shepherds were isolated from their families and communities... and in addition to all of this, shepherds were unclean in the ordinary sense of the word because they spent their entire lives with sheep, seldom bathed, and always had caked dirt and dung on the sandals.
No one would invite a shepherd to join him or her for dinner. No one would reach out to a shepherd... or want much to do with them... except God... who announced the birth of His Son to shepherds first. Unto you, he said, a child is born. Unto you and shepherds like you- unto the poor and outcast, unto those who are shut away, shut down, shut in, and shut down, unto those who are unseen and unheard, unto those whom others don't respect or treat with dignity... unto you a child is born! It was an incredible proclamation... and then, they were invited to join the holy family for the first Christmas! It was an outrageous, irreligious act, even though its radical message is lost on us. When Jesus was born in Bethlehem (now a Palestinian town), the invited "guests" were not grandma and grandpa, or uncles and aunts, or Mary's BFF... but the lowly shepherds- who stood around with wide eyes, unclean hands, and dung on their sandals... as the baby Jesus laid in a cattle trough. Yes, in an act that radically redefined what it means to be "holy," Jesus was born in a backwater town in an obscure little country... to an unwed teenage girl...in front of her trusting finance', a cow or two, and an assortment of unkempt shepherds. Merry Christmas!
Think about this for a moment and it will blow your mind. Let the shepherd within you embrace the words- unto you a child is born- and your heart will burst into song! Unto YOU a child is born. Unto you Christ is born. If you're not shapely or svelte, he is born unto you; if your teeth are not as bright as they could be, or even if you're missing teeth, unto you a child is born; if you get your hands dirty when you work, or do the work that others won't do, unto you a child is born; if your background is shady, if you're burdened with sin, if you're sure that people wouldn't love you if they knew you, unto you a child is born; if you stumble over words and never quite say the right things, unto you a child is born; if your head is filled with secrets and doubts, unto you a child is born; if you find it hard to hope and never quite believe, unto you a child is born; if you are, in the depths of your heart, absolutely convinced that you are unloved and unloveable... UNTO YOU A SAVIOR IS BORN!
UNTO YOU A CHILD IS BORN... and you will never, ever be the same... because He will change your life forever. When the next morning came, the shepherds were still shepherds... but they were shepherds... with hope. People continued to shun them... but they knew that they were worthy! People continued to treat them as nobodies, but God had invited them to attend the birth of a king! They still had missing teeth, but they smiled broadly. Their lives would still be spent in the hills and they knew that they would never be invited to see anything grand, but it didn't matter at all, because THE CHILD HAD BEEN BORN UNTO THEM. They would continue to struggle to feed and protect their sheep. They would continue to struggle with life,...but after Mary's boy was born... they would never struggle without hope.
It didn't matter if they never received another invitation in their lives... because they had been invited to the first Christmas! God had emptied himself of divinity and come to earth to save a broken, desperate, foolish, and unclean people. The shepherds saw it first, but YOU ARE INVITED to Christmas as well. Never let anyone tell you that you have to be or do, say or buy, certain things... so that you'll have a "good Christmas." For unto you a Savior is born... all you have to do is respond! Amen.
Think about this for a moment and it will blow your mind. Let the shepherd within you embrace the words- unto you a child is born- and your heart will burst into song! Unto YOU a child is born. Unto you Christ is born. If you're not shapely or svelte, he is born unto you; if your teeth are not as bright as they could be, or even if you're missing teeth, unto you a child is born; if you get your hands dirty when you work, or do the work that others won't do, unto you a child is born; if your background is shady, if you're burdened with sin, if you're sure that people wouldn't love you if they knew you, unto you a child is born; if you stumble over words and never quite say the right things, unto you a child is born; if your head is filled with secrets and doubts, unto you a child is born; if you find it hard to hope and never quite believe, unto you a child is born; if you are, in the depths of your heart, absolutely convinced that you are unloved and unloveable... UNTO YOU A SAVIOR IS BORN!
UNTO YOU A CHILD IS BORN... and you will never, ever be the same... because He will change your life forever. When the next morning came, the shepherds were still shepherds... but they were shepherds... with hope. People continued to shun them... but they knew that they were worthy! People continued to treat them as nobodies, but God had invited them to attend the birth of a king! They still had missing teeth, but they smiled broadly. Their lives would still be spent in the hills and they knew that they would never be invited to see anything grand, but it didn't matter at all, because THE CHILD HAD BEEN BORN UNTO THEM. They would continue to struggle to feed and protect their sheep. They would continue to struggle with life,...but after Mary's boy was born... they would never struggle without hope.
It didn't matter if they never received another invitation in their lives... because they had been invited to the first Christmas! God had emptied himself of divinity and come to earth to save a broken, desperate, foolish, and unclean people. The shepherds saw it first, but YOU ARE INVITED to Christmas as well. Never let anyone tell you that you have to be or do, say or buy, certain things... so that you'll have a "good Christmas." For unto you a Savior is born... all you have to do is respond! Amen.
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