So, Jesus, the Son of God, has been born and Mary and Joseph are beaming!
Today, I want to talk about the shepherds who were taking care of their sheep nearby.
Let's read:
Luke 2:8-20
8 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 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.
This is another great picture of God coming down to earth as a baby born into a poor family, and the first thing he sees are stinky animals. He should have had a parade, visits from the people who would have been on the "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous", gifts galore. But God wanted us know that Jesus came to save everyone~the humble, meek, poor, insignificant, little people.
The shepherds, who were not part of the rich and famous, were the first people to hear of Jesus' birth from the angel. I've been told that shepherds were looked upon as the most uneducated, lowly positions there were. But God chose to tell them.
Then a host of angels sang God's praises. Can you imagine the beautiful sounds?!
The shepherds then went to see the baby Jesus. They were in such awe that they ran home and excitedly told everyone who would listen about the visit from the angel and being in the presence of the Son of God!!
God sent His Son down to earth to live a humble life as a carpenter so that one day He would be sacrificed for the sins of the world. That's me, that's you. It doesn't matter about our status in the world, how much money we make, how nice we are, or how many times we go to church. Jesus came to earth to die for every person so we can spend eternity in heaven with him.
What true, unconditional love!!
Love y'all,
Linda
Interesting that you were thinking about the shepherds. Louie Giglio's sermon on Sun was on the shepherds. He focused on the fact that they were "nearby" and talked about who may be "nearby" in our lives that need the Lord. You can listen to it online at the Passion City Church website.