A group of shepherds abiding in the fields keeping watch over their flocks.  To shepherds, looked down upon, dirty, smelly, the angel appeared with astounding good news.  Why did the angel appear to shepherds, and why is this such a vital part of the Christmas story?

Luke 2:1-14

It’s Christmas Eve. This is a time to pause between all of the nerve-wracking preparation for Christmas and tomorrow’s shredding of wrapping paper as gifts are opened followed by the cries of delight or the muffled groans of disappointment. It is a time to stop for a moment and remember what this night is all about.

There were shepherds abiding in the fields that night keeping watch over their flocks. It was to them an angel of the Lord appeared with an earth-shattering announcement. Afraid, of course they were afraid. You would be afraid too if an angel appeared suddenly and unexpectedly to you. To them the announcement was made, “Unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior who is Christ the Lord. In one sentence all of the hopes and dreams of a people were summarized. Abraham, that ancient ancestor, had been promised that through his descendants all the nations of the earth would be blessed. Prophetic voices proclaimed again and again the promise of a Messiah. Did the people really believe that God would act on their behalf? I’m sure many did. I would also think that most had placed this event at some point in the distant future—not here—out there–not something that would take place in the midst of their own lives.

Why would the announcement be made to shepherds? God seems to pick precisely the strangest people to be the recipients of great events. Fishermen, a tax collector, and God knows what else were chosen to be the disciples to accompany the Lord. Mary Magdalene was chosen to be the first person known to have seen the risen Lord, and entrusted as the very first apostle. Shepherds were the first informed about the birth of the Messiah. Let’s face it. Shepherds would certainly not have been my first choice. No question that they were essential to the economy of their day, but their reputation was highly suspect. They spent so much time alone or in company with others like themselves. They were considered dishonest, and who could tell what they got up to out there on their own. They slept rough. They were dirty, and they smelled like sheep… Well, you know what they smelled like. They were not part of the mainstream of society. If they told anyone about what they had seen, who would believe them.

But it was to shepherds that the angel relayed their message, and that was significant to the Christmas story. The announcement to the shepherds is a reminder to us of who we are. This Child was not born because we are such fine upstanding citizens, pleasing to God in every aspect of our lives. The grace of God entered this world because we are sinful human beings—people who too often turn their backs on God. This Child came that we might be restored to a relationship with our God. It really doesn’t make any difference whether we are a prodigal who has wandered far from God, or the one who just dabbles on the other side of the fence, we have each failed our God. In the eyes of God, we are the ones who are dishonest, dirty, and we stink. It is important that the shepherds heard the message first, because they are representatives of each one of us. The wondrous thing is that God sent his angelic messengers to them—and through them to us.

As the angels departed after their concert, one of the shepherds must have said, “Let’s go and see.” And so they did. They set off for Bethlehem to find out what this was all about. What about the sheep? They must have left some one behind to care for the flocks. They couldn’t just abandon them to prowling thieves, wolves, or lions. To Bethlehem they went, and there, in very humble circumstances—an animal enclosure—a place for travelers to secure their animals for the night–they found a mother and child. Can you imagine these rough shepherds approaching a new born, gnarled, calloused hands reaching out to touch him. Recognition dawning on them about what this Child meant. This was the promised Messiah. Silence must have fallen. God had inserted himself into the world of human beings. Humbly one after the other would have fallen to his knees.

This is why we have paused this evening. All of the Christmas parties and festivities have been put on hold. We have stopped to remember—to remember a birth that happened so long ago. Yet that birth became an exceptionally meaningful event in each of our lives. It reminds us that God cares enough about each one of us that he would send his Son into our world to suffer and die that we might be free—truly free. Through him we can turn loose of the hurts of the past. To those who have damaged us we can only say you have to be responsible for your own actions. I can no longer carry the burden for you. Because of this Child we can learn to say I forgive not because it makes no difference, but because it makes a great deal of difference. It is past and the power of this Child inserted into our world gives us the ability to let the past become history and move forward freed into the future. With the shepherds, we too need to take a few minutes to kneel before the manger and reflect on what God has done for us personally.

The shepherds didn’t remain at the manger. They had lives that they had to lead, responsibilities that they had to shoulder. They had to get back to their sheep—that was the reality of their world. But they were changed. They now had a message to share. They could take up the task of the angels. I’m not sure who they would tell. I’m not sure who would listen to a group of dirty, smelly shepherds. They would not have been welcomed into a king’s palace or the houses of the merchant princes, but they could share this good news with people just like themselves. That’s all God every really asks. Share with those who are like yourselves.

The shepherds after all discovered why this is indeed a merry Christmas.