Christmas day, December 25, 2015
Narrative Lectionary, Luke 2:8-20
Christ Our Shepherd Lutheran Church
Hope International Mission
By Young Kim
Grace and peace to you from Jesus Christ, the Humble King. Amen.
Have you ever wondered why the angel appeared to tell the Good News to the shepherds, not the priests or the king? I always thought, “Why the shepherds? Why not the important people who have power and influence so that the Good News from angel could be spread out all the Judea very quickly and so many people would know that their Savior, the Messiah was born?” So today, I would like to look closely into shepherds and what brought them to such honorable place of hearing the Good News.
Some of you might already know that shepherds had low social status and that their lives, especially in the ancient world, were often difficult. It was a common routine for shepherds to live alone for long periods of time searching for the right place for their sheep to stay. They had to wander from pasture to pasture to safely feed their flock. Sometimes, it might have been too hot or too cold, and it might have rained endlessly with loud thunders roaring at night just like it is this week. Or sometimes, they might have had to go without water to drink or grass to nibble out of severe drought. How about the wild animals? They could be threatening. Despite all these hardships, it was their duty to protect their flocks and lead them to a safe space.
With these images in our mind, today’s Gospel reading tells us that “In the same region which was Bethlehem, there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night.” Interestingly, Bethlehem's shepherds were known to care for the temple flock. Some shepherds owned their own flocks, but many were hired by the owners. So we could guess that they may have been hired to protect and care for the sacrificial lambs. In this case, it is possible to think that shepherds were given the Good News to connote Jesus Christ who came to be a sacrificial lamb. But we could also find other reasons why it was relevant and adequate for the shepherds to be the first recipients of the Good News.
First, they were probably the only ones who were awake that late at night. Like it or not, waking up all night and watching the flocks was their job. But because they were awake, they were able to see the angel and hear the great news about the birth of the Savior. As we wait for Jesus’ coming again, this could be a good reminder for us of what Jesus taught his disciples in Matthew by saying “Keep awake therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.” practitioner
Second, looking at what they did right after hearing the Good News from the angel, we could guess that they were active practitioner of faith. In verses 15-16, they said to one another “Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.” So they went right away with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. But they only had few clues from the angel to find the baby such as “the baby was born in the city of David,” and “the baby is wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.” With these very little clues, they went to Bethlehem and were trying to find the place during the dark night. Luke does not tell us how the shepherds dealt with their flocks before they left there to find the baby. But they were in a hurry to find the baby, and they probably left their flocks and their duties which was a great risk for them to leave what they did for their living. Also, Luke does not tell us how the shepherds found the right manger. I do not know exactly how many stables there were in Bethlehem, but presumably there were hundreds of them back then. They must have run the whole night to find the baby in a manger.
The shepherds finally found the baby in a manger, and with great joy they proudly shared what they had been told about this baby.
I was invited to the festival of nativity from our neighbor Mormon Church right across the street several weeks ago. There, I saw hundreds of nativity scene from all over the world and they were all very beautiful. But my understanding of nativity scene was not that beautiful from my early childhood memory. During summer vacation, my mother sent me & my sister to stay with my grandparents in a rural area for a month. We had many fun experiences there, but we had certain jobs to help my grandparents in their house and their farm. My grandparents also had a stable next to their house, and my job was to feed the cows almost every day. I hated the dark and stinky place. I was afraid that the animals would move unexpectedly and attack me while I fed them. And this memory helped me imagine the place where Jesus was born. It might have been very dark and noisy and stinky with so many dirt and dung all over the place and definitely not clean enough for the baby and the mother to stay.
Then why on earth did the baby Jesus, the Savior, the King of all kings came to this stinky and dark place? Why not palace or even just a normal house? I believe that it is because of his nature of humbleness. And this humbleness is God’s way of showing God’s love and compassion for us. Jesus came to this world not to be worshiped as God or to rule this world as King but to serve God and give himself to die on the cross for us. He was never rich nor had great power on the earth. But rather, he was poor and befriended sinners & embraced the neglected people.
He truly came to this world to give his body and blood to feed us in body and spirit and to make us satisfied with his abundant love. For this reason, he might have been laid in a manger, the feeding trough.
Is Christmas the good news of great joy to you as the angel proclaimed to the shepherds?
I had a coupon from T-mobile and was able to order a smart watch using that coupon. It was like a Christmas gift for myself, and I was so excited to be able to order it, and the expected delivery date was Christmas Eve. I checked the tracking number frequently to see where it is located and waited for it with excitement. Then, one day, I realized that I was eagerly waiting for the coming of the smart watch more than the coming of the baby Jesus. I felt so sorry & repented to God that the good news of great joy for me was the coming of the smart watch!
And this is just one of many examples of how we get excited from the other things more than Jesus Christ on this Christmas season. We are excited for the family gathering; we are excited for the presents sitting under the Christmas tree; we are excited for traveling during the holiday season and so on and on.
But let me ask you this again. Is the birth of Jesus a great joy to you? Can you go out giving up your job for living to find the baby if you had the chance to listen to the great news from the angel? Can you shout with joy and share what you heard that the Savior was born in this world? The faith of the shepherds is often underestimated and overlooked, but this short scene of shepherd’s faith is actually a very challenging scene for us. It tells us how we should wait and how we should react when what we were waiting for finally happened.
Back in those days, the image of savior in the Greek culture was a victorious conqueror who saved the world and brought peace through victory in battles. But the Savior Jesus Christ in the Bible came from a manger. Perhaps this was already a sign to reveal to all the faithful believers that this Savior Jesus Christ will bring peace, the peace that is nothing like what they knew then or what we know now. And this peace was often very disturbing to some people. Some people thought that what Jesus was doing was far from bringing peace to this world. Then why does the Bible say “on earth peace”? The answer is in the rest of the phrase. Let us claim it altogether. “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!” Among those whom he favors! If you believe that you are one of them, then it is your part to actively and eagerly listen to and share the Good News. And if you are questioning whether you are one of them, I can tell you that you are already here in this place to hear the Good News. And your initiating steps to be in the presence of God have already brought favor in God’s eyes. Jesus Christ was born for you because he loves you so much.
Narrative Lectionary, Luke 2:8-20
Christ Our Shepherd Lutheran Church
Hope International Mission
By Young Kim
Grace and peace to you from Jesus Christ, the Humble King. Amen.
Have you ever wondered why the angel appeared to tell the Good News to the shepherds, not the priests or the king? I always thought, “Why the shepherds? Why not the important people who have power and influence so that the Good News from angel could be spread out all the Judea very quickly and so many people would know that their Savior, the Messiah was born?” So today, I would like to look closely into shepherds and what brought them to such honorable place of hearing the Good News.
Some of you might already know that shepherds had low social status and that their lives, especially in the ancient world, were often difficult. It was a common routine for shepherds to live alone for long periods of time searching for the right place for their sheep to stay. They had to wander from pasture to pasture to safely feed their flock. Sometimes, it might have been too hot or too cold, and it might have rained endlessly with loud thunders roaring at night just like it is this week. Or sometimes, they might have had to go without water to drink or grass to nibble out of severe drought. How about the wild animals? They could be threatening. Despite all these hardships, it was their duty to protect their flocks and lead them to a safe space.
With these images in our mind, today’s Gospel reading tells us that “In the same region which was Bethlehem, there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night.” Interestingly, Bethlehem's shepherds were known to care for the temple flock. Some shepherds owned their own flocks, but many were hired by the owners. So we could guess that they may have been hired to protect and care for the sacrificial lambs. In this case, it is possible to think that shepherds were given the Good News to connote Jesus Christ who came to be a sacrificial lamb. But we could also find other reasons why it was relevant and adequate for the shepherds to be the first recipients of the Good News.
First, they were probably the only ones who were awake that late at night. Like it or not, waking up all night and watching the flocks was their job. But because they were awake, they were able to see the angel and hear the great news about the birth of the Savior. As we wait for Jesus’ coming again, this could be a good reminder for us of what Jesus taught his disciples in Matthew by saying “Keep awake therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.” practitioner
Second, looking at what they did right after hearing the Good News from the angel, we could guess that they were active practitioner of faith. In verses 15-16, they said to one another “Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.” So they went right away with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. But they only had few clues from the angel to find the baby such as “the baby was born in the city of David,” and “the baby is wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.” With these very little clues, they went to Bethlehem and were trying to find the place during the dark night. Luke does not tell us how the shepherds dealt with their flocks before they left there to find the baby. But they were in a hurry to find the baby, and they probably left their flocks and their duties which was a great risk for them to leave what they did for their living. Also, Luke does not tell us how the shepherds found the right manger. I do not know exactly how many stables there were in Bethlehem, but presumably there were hundreds of them back then. They must have run the whole night to find the baby in a manger.
The shepherds finally found the baby in a manger, and with great joy they proudly shared what they had been told about this baby.
I was invited to the festival of nativity from our neighbor Mormon Church right across the street several weeks ago. There, I saw hundreds of nativity scene from all over the world and they were all very beautiful. But my understanding of nativity scene was not that beautiful from my early childhood memory. During summer vacation, my mother sent me & my sister to stay with my grandparents in a rural area for a month. We had many fun experiences there, but we had certain jobs to help my grandparents in their house and their farm. My grandparents also had a stable next to their house, and my job was to feed the cows almost every day. I hated the dark and stinky place. I was afraid that the animals would move unexpectedly and attack me while I fed them. And this memory helped me imagine the place where Jesus was born. It might have been very dark and noisy and stinky with so many dirt and dung all over the place and definitely not clean enough for the baby and the mother to stay.
Then why on earth did the baby Jesus, the Savior, the King of all kings came to this stinky and dark place? Why not palace or even just a normal house? I believe that it is because of his nature of humbleness. And this humbleness is God’s way of showing God’s love and compassion for us. Jesus came to this world not to be worshiped as God or to rule this world as King but to serve God and give himself to die on the cross for us. He was never rich nor had great power on the earth. But rather, he was poor and befriended sinners & embraced the neglected people.
He truly came to this world to give his body and blood to feed us in body and spirit and to make us satisfied with his abundant love. For this reason, he might have been laid in a manger, the feeding trough.
Is Christmas the good news of great joy to you as the angel proclaimed to the shepherds?
I had a coupon from T-mobile and was able to order a smart watch using that coupon. It was like a Christmas gift for myself, and I was so excited to be able to order it, and the expected delivery date was Christmas Eve. I checked the tracking number frequently to see where it is located and waited for it with excitement. Then, one day, I realized that I was eagerly waiting for the coming of the smart watch more than the coming of the baby Jesus. I felt so sorry & repented to God that the good news of great joy for me was the coming of the smart watch!
And this is just one of many examples of how we get excited from the other things more than Jesus Christ on this Christmas season. We are excited for the family gathering; we are excited for the presents sitting under the Christmas tree; we are excited for traveling during the holiday season and so on and on.
But let me ask you this again. Is the birth of Jesus a great joy to you? Can you go out giving up your job for living to find the baby if you had the chance to listen to the great news from the angel? Can you shout with joy and share what you heard that the Savior was born in this world? The faith of the shepherds is often underestimated and overlooked, but this short scene of shepherd’s faith is actually a very challenging scene for us. It tells us how we should wait and how we should react when what we were waiting for finally happened.
Back in those days, the image of savior in the Greek culture was a victorious conqueror who saved the world and brought peace through victory in battles. But the Savior Jesus Christ in the Bible came from a manger. Perhaps this was already a sign to reveal to all the faithful believers that this Savior Jesus Christ will bring peace, the peace that is nothing like what they knew then or what we know now. And this peace was often very disturbing to some people. Some people thought that what Jesus was doing was far from bringing peace to this world. Then why does the Bible say “on earth peace”? The answer is in the rest of the phrase. Let us claim it altogether. “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!” Among those whom he favors! If you believe that you are one of them, then it is your part to actively and eagerly listen to and share the Good News. And if you are questioning whether you are one of them, I can tell you that you are already here in this place to hear the Good News. And your initiating steps to be in the presence of God have already brought favor in God’s eyes. Jesus Christ was born for you because he loves you so much.