C, Christmas Day - Luke 2:8-20 "You Can't Hit an Angel with a Stick"

Text: Luke 2:8-20

…[T]here 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 of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is Christ 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, and on earth peace to men on whom his favour 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 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.

Sermon

You can't beat a shepherd with a stick! None of us here would be able to strong arm a shepherd and steal his sheep. Rather if we tried to overrun the shepherd and flog his sheep we would end up on the wrong end of the stick. We would be struck with the shepherd's staff. We would feel the sting of his rod on our backs; the shepherd's staff would bear down heavy on our shoulders, and we would have to flea from him and his flock in fear.

Shepherds are masters at caring for their sheep. Looking after sheep in the daytime is one thing — watching their sheep feed on pastures, making sure they don't stray too far. But at night as the sheep rest, the pressure to keep sheep safe rises to a whole new level. For in the cloak of darkness lurk all sorts of menaces just waiting to make a meal out of a sheep. Often you would find not just one shepherd looking after the flock but a number of shepherds watching the sheep every hour of the day; a family of shepherds perhaps. So while one watched the others slept and when alerted they would all jump up, take their staffs, and drive off the attacker.

It would have been just a regular night outside Bethlehem. The shepherds were watching over their flocks at night. They were on the lookout for lions, wild dogs, or wolves, and thieves seeking a quick catch before disappearing into the darkness. And if one of these attackers had stepped out of the darkness, there would have been a commotion, as the shepherds would have banded together and scared off the foe from the flock.

But this night outside Bethlehem was no ordinary night. In fact the night became as bright as day as an angel of the Lord appeared and the glory of the Lord shone all around. Now the shepherds knew what was transpiring was not the normal. They knew they couldn't beat off an angel of the Lord with a staff or sticks, and the fearless shepherds shook with terror.

But this angel was not about to strike the shepherds and scatter their sheep. No! He came with good news. And for folk like the shepherds, the news he brought was truly life saving news. He said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." (Luke 2:10-12)

This was good news for the shaking shepherds. As rugged as these men were, they had no access to God because of their lifestyle. Being shepherds brought them into contact with ritually unclean situations and animals, and having to watch over their sheep twenty-four hours a day, meant no time to go and make the appropriate sacrifices to the Lord at the temple at Jerusalem. So the shepherds lived as outcasts, unclean and unable to have an audience with God in the temple. It's no wonder that these men shook with fear. Not only was this an extraordinary event, but the holiness of God shone upon these men who knew they were not fit to stand in the holy presence of God.

However the angel's call to have no fear was well founded. He told them to have no fear because the Saviour born is "for you", and this sign is "for you", that you will find the baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger. And with that the shepherds were privileged to be the first people on earth to hear the song of heaven, Glory to God in the highest, only ever heard in the presence of God; heard now because God was Immanuel, "God with us", lying in a manger wrapped in cloths —for us —for you!

It must have been a great show seeing the hosts of heaven light up the night sky and even greater to hear that the Saviour was born for them, unclean shepherds. So much so these shepherds left their sheep — now that's just not done — and they said to each other, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about." And off they went and found everything as the angel had told them.

The irony in all of this is that these men gained access to God, through an extraordinary event; these men leaned over a manger and saw the child, where usually they would have tipped food into similar mangers to feed their sheep when no fodder was to be found. What was extraordinary for them was for God too, for God had never lowered himself to such a point that he was restricted to one place in time — as a baby lying in a manger.

We should never let the enormity of this event slip past us. God came into darkness and shone his glory. God came to earth for us, for you, for me, and he continues to shine his glory on us. Although now it's masked by faith in his Word, so that only those who hear and trust his Word see his glory, and, like the shepherds, have access to a holy God in these dark times.

The irony doesn't stop their either. The child, the Son of God, these shepherds viewed was to grow into the man who was sent by God to be the Shepherd of humanity, beginning with the Jews and then all people, including us, who are the Gentiles. This holy God born into the darkness of humanity, brings light as he comes as Supreme Shepherd, and was deserted by God and sacrificed as a lamb, in the darkest hour on Good Friday, so that in his sacrifice we — having been cleaned — can say, "Let's go and see and hear what the Lord has done for us." And having been in the Risen Shepherd's supreme presence and receiving forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation, we can return to our everyday lives glorifying and praising God for all the things we have heard and seen, which are just as we have been told in God's Word.

So the inspired words Isaiah wrote all those years before Christ was born are for us. The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned. 4 For as in the day of Midian's defeat, you have shattered the yoke that burdens them, the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor. 6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this. (Isaiah 9:2,4,6-7)

The zeal of God has accomplished this for you. We no longer have to fear the shepherd's rod and staff striking us and oppressing us and driving us away from the flock of God into darkness and death. Rather because this Christ child was born for you, because this Shepherd was laid in a manger for you, and was nailed to the cross for you, we now can live in peace as the Shepherd's sheep, living forever in the light. We have been adopted and given an identity as his children, his sheep, with eternal access to his divine glory. And now the rod of the Shepherd beats off the enemy, from within us and from near us, every time we hear the Law. And his staff, the Gospel, saves us and comforts us as we live under his twenty-four hour a day watch.

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, 3 he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. (Psalm 23:1-6) Amen.