And God Winked

Luke 2: 8-12
"There were sheepherders camping in the neighborhood. They had set night watches over their sheep. Suddenly, God’s angel stood among them and God’s glory blazed around them. They were terrified. The angel said, 'Don’t be afraid. I’m here to announce a great and joyful event that is meant for everybody, worldwide: A Savior has just been born in David’s town, a Savior who is Messiah and Master. This is what you’re to look for: a baby wrapped in a blanket and lying in a manger.'"

There's a light breeze, blowing the tall grass, making whisper noises which foreshadow the song which will be sung later this very same night. The crickets are chirping, adding their harmony to the whisper-song of the grass.

There is a group of shepherds there, reclining in the grass, keepin' an eye on their flock of sheep. Some of them slept, getting some sleep before it came their turn to take shift on the night watch. They probably had a few small campfires going to further scare away predators and to warm up some food. As they camped there, some of them probably wondered about the bright star in the sky. I'll bet some of them even gossiped about it, coming up with possibilities for its purpose. This is a scene, just itchin' to be painted. It's a Kodak moment.

The world in solemn stillness lay. It is a silent night. The midnight is clear. Bethlehem is lying still. All is calm.

For the moment, that is. Little do those poor shepherds know what's coming next.

Sheepherders are prepared for predators. They know that at some point in their illustrious careers tending flocks of sheep, they will have to do hand-to-paw combat with some nasty fang-bearing critter which would love to have a midnight snack, munching a sheep or two. Sheepherders are prepared for bad weather. They know they'll have to find shelter for themselves and quite possibly weather some bad storms. They're prepared for long times away from family and friends. They're prepared for travel. They're prepared to search for a lost sheep.

But the shepherds we read about in this story were nowhere near prepared for what would break the silent reverie of their midnight clear.

Half-dozing sheepherders, leaning upon their staffs, as the wind whispers through the tall grass are shocked from their peace by an angel which just appears out of nowhere.

I imagine some of them going into attack mode, thinking of protecting their sheep, almost attacking God's messenger. I imagine that some of them were too bewildered to do much of anything, standing there with mouths agape. And I imagine that some of them were so startled that they soiled themselves from the sudden shock of the angel's appearance.

Can you blame them? They didn't have much experience with angels. When they were going to shepherd school, there was no elective course in Angel Appearances and What To Do About Them. The story tells us that they were terrified. I imagine that when the shepherds who went into attack mode or were bewildered truly realized who had just appeared...an angel of the Lord!...that they all became terrified.

I imagine this rough, gnarled group of guys huddling together in fear, knees trembling, some of them begging for mercy, others crying. Have you ever been afraid like this? Have you ever truly been terrified? Because these men were. They were truly terrified. Fear was shredding away at the edges of their consciousness, reducing them to a group of knee-knocking, simpering, whimpering children.

The first words out of the angel's mouth? "Don't be afraid."

Some of them probably thought, "Uh huh. Yeah, right! Don't be afraid? Easy for you to say Mr. Bright-and-shiny-Angel-of-the-Lord-guy. You just pop in out of nowhere and we're supposed to 'not be afraid.' Excuse me while I go clean out my shorts."

But others of them, I'm sure, were able to hear the tone of the angel's voice. They were able to hear the peace there. They were able to hear the words of God through the chaos of this event. These shepherds breathed a sigh of relief. And as their brains began to give way to peace instead of fear, a new thought dawned upon them: "Why on God's green earth are you coming to us? We're just a bunch of stinky ol' shepherds out watching our flocks by night. How come you're not visiting that ol' King Herod? Why aren't you going to the priests in the temples? What do you want from us?"

The angel chuckles lightly, adding a note of joy to this chaotic moment. "What do I want from you? I don't want anything from you. That's not why I came. I want something for you. I want to tell you some news."

"News? God sends an angel to us to tell some news? We don't get it." responds one of the more experienced shepherds.

"It's precisely because you are who you are that God has sent me to you. God's kinda gettin' tired of being so predictable. So, this time around, He's going to mess with things a bit. Instead of sending angels to the people you'd expect, He's sent me to a young virgin and her fiancé, a group of foreign scholars, and you guys! The kings and priests of your world need some shakin' up. So, here I am, talkin' to you...shakin' things up."

The shepherds could appreciate that. They understood the joke. And they suddenly had a whole new appreciation for God. A new joy filled them...although it could also be called humor. And with smiles beginning to appear on their faces as each one of them in turn began to realize how God was upending their social order, one of them asked, "So, what news do you have for us?"

"Are you ready for this?" asked the angel, "You've known for a long time that God was going to send a Messiah, right?"

"Yup." responded the shepherds.

"Well, get this...God's sent the Messiah, all right, but..." the angel had to stop to laugh. He finally got control of himself, took a deep breath, and said, "but the Messiah is a baby!" with that, the angel burst into tears, he began to laugh so hard.

The shepherds didn't quite get it at first. And so one of them asked, "Well, He's like some sort of a king or something, right?"

"Well, yeah. Technically He's a King. But this King has just been born in some motel-stable down there in Bethlehem. And His throne is a smelly old feeding box used for the stable animals. You see guys, God's not interested in all of the religious trappings...He's tired of all the pomp and circumstance you've added to worshiping Him. That's why He's sent me to regular folks...unexpected folks. That's why God has sent the Messiah as a helpless baby who will grow up with common people. God wants to be known by the least, the last, and the lost, because the most, the first, and the found already know God and have missed the point."

"What's the point?" asked a shepherd.

"The point is this: love God...love each other. But you know what...I shouldn't say anymore. I'll let your new Messiah tell you...when He learns how to talk!"

The shepherds all laughed at that.

"Now, just one more thing," said the angel.

"Sure, what's that?" asked the sheepherders.

"God would like you guys to head down to Bethlehem and go see Him. He'll be in that stable I was telling you about."

"You got it. We'll go and see Him. Anything we need to bring?" they asked.

"Nope...well, nothing material anyway...just bring your sense of humor...and bring your hearts." said the angel.

And so the unlikely heralds of the Messiah went to see Him. They laughed and talked along the way. They wondered about the future. They wondered how things would change. They wondered how this Messiah would save them. And they laughed some more at the thought of the Lord of the Universe having such a great sense of humor.

And when they got there, joy exploded from them as they saw the Messiah lying there in that feeding box. The poor virgin and her husband looked tired, but a great sense of peace filled them.

And here is how I imagine the scene to have happened…that as the smelly sheepherders approached, the Baby Messiah King looked at them...God looked at them...and winked.

And the sheepherders smiled. And then they knelt to worship Him.

Be WILD For Christ!

Pastor Shane