Good News! (Luke 2:8-20) by Rev. Dan McDowell December 9, 2018

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1 1 Good News! (Luke 2:8-20) by Rev. Dan McDowell December 9, And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger. 13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 14 Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests. 15 When 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. 16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the

2 2 word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told. (Luke 2:8-20) Hey, everybody! Have you heard the good news? The Messiah has been born! Yes! The Messiah! The One we have been waiting for. The One the prophets foretold. I have just seen the baby in Bethlehem! Wait a second Where am I? I was just in Bethlehem telling people about the baby And Joseph and Mary And the angels

3 3 How did I end up in Jerusalem? I don t get into Jerusalem very much. We shepherds are not exactly welcome there, but this must be the temple. There are grand columns A huge ceiling That reminds me of our greatest king. Perhaps you have heard of him. His name was David. You know what I like about David? He was a shepherd. People nowadays forget that. Times have changed Did you know that I am a shepherd? Well, maybe that was obvious by now. But you know, we shepherds We are different. We are a different breed, that s for sure. In fact, we are not well respected.

4 4 Most of us are uneducated. Sophisticated would never be a word that is used to describe us. We don t look that good. You probably don t want your daughter marrying one of us. We are not sharp dressers. And why bother? Because we don t smell that good either. Well, you wouldn t smell good if you spent all day with sheep. Being a sheep herder is a lonely and boring job. It is wearisome and tedious. And you never get a day off. The job is 24/7. It may not appear to be hard work, but it is. The sheep need constant attention. We even stay with them at night, whether it is in the pen, or in the fields. And we know each one. We have a name for each one, so if one is missing, we figure it out. Did you know that sheep are rather stupid?

5 5 Yes, they are not the smartest animals in the world. You have to lead them around, because on their own, they can t find grass and water. And you can t stay in one spot. For they will stay in one place way too long and eat themselves sick. There are several biological issues that go on there, but perhaps this is not the thing that you want to talk about here. Sheep just don t foresee danger. A shepherd has to keep an eye out for predators snakes, bears, and wolves they are all unwelcome. And I have had to fight them all off. I don t mean to brag about it, but we are a different breed. But there are some that are not all that crazy about us. Because We are outcasts. The religious establishment doesn t think much of us either. We are pretty much religious pariahs. It is really not our fault. Like I said before, our job is 24/7.

6 6 We don t get to participate in feasts and holy days. We can t leave the sheep. So, we don t get too involved in spiritual discussions in the synagogues. When comes right down to it, people just don t like having us around. We really don t get a chance to develop relationships with anybody (except the sheep, of course). We are constantly on the move. We are nomads and drifters, so to speak. So this kind of lifestyle has made us untouchable. We aren t even considered trustworthy. In fact, some of my brethren are considered a little shady, if you know what I mean. So, as you can see, we are on the opposite end of the social strata than the beautiful people We have no power. We have no prestige. We are pretty much overlooked. Until last night that is! Last night, you see heaven lit up. I don t even know how to describe it.

7 7 It was one of those nights that we were out in the fields. We were too far from home to return to the pens. It was kind of a lazy night. Some of us were sleeping. But I had the watch and was standing guard. When BOOM! Glory! I don t know how else to describe it. Every hair on my body stood on end. We all wanted to run and hide, and yet there was nowhere to go, except to our knees. You see We were scared. I don t know if you have ever met an angel, but let me tell you it is one terrifying experience! I was afraid to even look! But this angel, who was displaying all of the power of God, told us, Don t be afraid. That is a lot easier said than done.

8 8 The light of his presence was so pure and intense, it penetrated our souls. Then we heard the words we will never forget I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. Last night, we heard the most amazing, joyous news that has ever been told. God is doing something so great. It is going to change the course of history. And you know what? We were chosen. We were chosen to be the recipients of this message. I mean absolutely no offense to these others, but did you notice who didn t get chosen political leaders, kings, governors, magistrates not even Caesar. Neither did the religious leaders, priests, rabbis, synagogue officials, and Sanhedrin. I mean, if it had been me, I wouldn t have chosen us. I would have chosen people of distinction royalty or maybe priests But God chose us to hear this greatest news ever told!

9 9 And that was not the end of it, because all of sudden one angel turned into thousands of them. We never saw anything like it. They were chanting with a thunderous echo Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom His favor rests. Well, we had been told what to do. We knew what to look for. The chosen baby had just been born. He was in Bethlehem. He would be found in a feeding trough. That was enough information. So We responded. We didn t wait around, you know. When you are told such great news, you get moving. We certainly didn t seek out the religious professionals or look for a second opinion. You know what else we didn t worry about? the sheep. We just left them there.

10 10 We figured if the Lord was going to give us such great news, He could take care of the sheep at least for a little while. So, we went. And, just as the angel described it, we found Mary resting as comfortably as could be expected after giving birth. We found Joseph looking a bit weary as well. I am sure he had never been a part of anything like that before. And we found their boy. They told us His name was Joshua. And when we told them why we had came, they too were amazed. For this was such an extraordinary event, and we were such ordinary people. We could see that they were tired, but I cannot express to you what it is like to have seen the Messiah. This little baby is going to be our Savior and our Lord. How could such humble surroundings lead to the salvation of Israel?! So we left, and We changed. I have been telling everyone about it since. And that is how I ended up here. I know that we are never going to be the same. APPLICATION:

11 11 So that you don t miss it, let me tell you this There is good news for you! God shows no favoritism. He is no respecter of persons. No matter how insignificant you might think you are, God knows you, and you are important to Him. He does not discriminate on the basis of intelligence, education, wealth, profession, or social standing. No one is forgotten. You are not designed to be on the outside looking in. There is good news for you. Your Savior has been born. All you need to do is be humble enough to receive Him. Well, it is time for me to leave, because I am not done. You see People need to hear this news! And there are many who haven t heard it Now that you know, you better telling others as well. This little baby is going to show us God s path to heaven!

It s A Boy! The Shepherds Speak Message for December 23, 2018 North East United Methodist Church Rev. Dr. Drew M. Christian. Luke 2: 8-20 (NIV)

1 It s A Boy! The Shepherds Speak Message for December 23, 2018 North East United Methodist Church Rev. Dr. Drew M. Christian Luke 2: 8-20 (NIV) And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby,