An Ordinary Night

The night air was cool against his face. A gently breeze rustled the branches of a nearby tree, and the low bleating of sheep could be heard in the distance. He looked up at the night sky and wondered what secrets the twinkling stars held within their grasp. Sometimes he wondered if there was more to life than this ordinary existence. He had heard the stories. Stories of a God, who had spoken to his forefathers. Stories of a God, who performed miracles, parted seas,  and spoke from burning bushes. But some days, the stories seemed like just that, stories, tales from long ago. There was no use pondering such mysteries. He was a shepherd, and shepherds were meant to tend their flock not contemplate matters such as these. He leaned on his staff, as he gazed across the field at his flock.

As night crept towards morning, he joined his fellow shepherds near the fire. Out of the inky blackness of night, a light shone, piercing the night sky with its brilliance. The shepherds looked at one another, confusion and fear on their faces. What was happening? Had someone come to steal their flocks? Then in their fear and confusion, they hear a voice, like the tinkering of bells, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. “ (Luke 2: 10-11, NIV) As the angel finished speaking the words, a host of angels appear against the night sky praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

The light faded back into black. Once again, the darkness surrounded them but the night was not the same. They had seen the glory of the Lord. He had spoken into their ordinary existence, and as their minds grasped to make sense of what had occurred, they knew that they had to go and see this thing that had happened. His heart raced as he gathered his belongings, and he joined the others in their pursuit of this Messiah. 

The Shepherds

We live in a society where importance is often determined by social status, job title, or popularity. Shepherds had a low standing in the middle eastern culture. They were unskilled labor. Yet, it is to these lowly shepherds that God sends an angel to announce the birth of His son. He infringes into their ordinary existence to let the world know that the long anticipated Messiah had come. I believe that there are several truths nestled in the story of the shepherds. 

First, God could have chosen to announce the birth of His son to anyone.  Why the shepherds? I don’t know why God chose the shepherds but maybe it is because shepherds are good at watching and waiting. Their role, as a shepherd, required that they always be watching their flocks, and usually this was done in solitude. There was no rushing around, radio blaring in the background, as they hustled from one task to the next. There was quiet. So often, it is easy to get caught up in the busyness of life that we forget to be still. We forget to slow down, and listen. To be in a position to hear God, we must slow down, and put ourselves at His feet. We have to be still before Him, realizing that He is God, and He is sovereign. 

When the angel of the Lord spoke to the shepherds, the first words spoken were, “Do not be afraid.” (Luke 2:10, NIV) How many days have I wasted in fear? How many days have I chosen to walk in fear instead of faith. And I’m not the only one. Fear is what drives our society. So much of the unrest in the world is rooted in fear. Yet, the first words spoken to the shepherds were “Do not be afraid”. Why did the shepherds not need to be afraid? The shepherds had no reason to fear because Jesus had come. He is the answer to every fear. Fear says that in whatever I’m facing, God isn’t there. Fear says that I will have to find my own way through life’s problems. Fear says that I will have to walk through the valley alone. The Urban Dictionary says, “Fear is the mind killer. Fear is the little death that brings total obliteration.” Fear is toxic to our minds and it invites us along a path where we trade our hope for a lie. The lie whispers to us that we are alone, and that God’s grace and love won’t carry us through the darkness. However, God has promised that He will never leave us or forsake us (Deuteronomy 31:6, 8; Hebrews13:5). No matter what we face, God’s grace will be sufficient. He will be there, and His love will be a banner over us. 

Lastly, after the angels departed, 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.” (Luke 2:15, NIV) The shepherds responded to what they had heard. They didn’t know how it would end. They didn’t sit around and analyze the consequences of leaving. They didn’t count the costs of pursuing this Messiah. They just went. In fact, they went in haste. We don’t always know what hinges on our obedience to God’s calling. I like to know how things will end. I’m a planner by nature, so I want to know each step ahead. Yet, often God asks me to step out in faith. It isn’t easy. I don’t want to relinquish my illusion of control. But faith is going, even when I don’t know the outcome. It is trusting that God knows what is ahead of me. He knows every twist and turn. He knows every high and low. He also knows what is waiting at the end of my obedience. He knows the glory that can be revealed through my trusting Him enough to say, “yes”. The shepherds went, and because they went they saw the Messiah. 

This Messiah that beckoned the shepherds is the same Messiah, who beckons you. He calls you out of darkness and into light. He calls you, not to fix you, but to love you just as you are. The shepherds didn’t know that this little baby, born in a stable, would one day die so that they could be free. Free from the confines of a fallen world, and the sin that separated them from a holy God. But that is what love does. Love dies on your behalf. Love pursues you at all costs. Love picks you up out of the ash heap, and sets you free. I pray that this Christmas you will know the depth of God’s love for you. I pray you will know the love that overcomes every fear, and pursues you no matter the cost. I pray that this love will infringe on your ordinary, and leave you in pursuit of the extraordinary.

“I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge-that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” Ephesians 3:16-19