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CHRISTMAS EVE 2002

The Angel’s Message to the Shepherds: HE’S FOR YOU! 

INTRODUCTION  

The greeting on one certain Christmas card goes like this: “Christmas is just plain weird.  What other time of year do you sit around staring at a dead tree in your living room and eat candy out of your socks.”

          There are some things about Christmas that are pretty weird.  A virgin teen becoming pregnant, a baby who would save the world from its sins, a God who wanted to become a human being.

That’s some pretty weird stuff.  To us, the supernatural will always seem kind of strange.  

As one person has said, “If miracles happened all the time, we would have called them ordinaries.”

          I want to talk to you about something weird.  Something odd.  Something out of the ordinary.   Imagine you’re an honest, hard-working sheep tender.   

You’re enjoying a calm evening on the hills outside the small town of Bethlehem. 

The Bible tells it better than I can…

READ LUKE 2:8-15

8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord suddenly 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 of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ 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, and on earth peace to men 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.”

          Listen to what the angels tell them:

          “I bring YOU good news of great joy that will be for all the people.”

          “Today in the town of David, a Savior has been born to YOU.”

          “This will be a sign to YOU: YOU will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

          The angel’s message to the shepherds was that this baby is YOUR Savior, YOUR King, YOUR Christ, YOUR gift – straight from God for you.
 
          These shepherds were just ordinary people.

          The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia tells us that “shepherding was done largely by the common folk.  It was demanding, and strenuous work.  Nevertheless, the true or faithful shepherd was thought to have a disposition that was altogether admirable: thoughtful, tender, gentle, strong, resourceful in times of danger.  Fighting off fatigue & pain, good shepherds were ever watchful over their charges, protecting the sheep from other animals, thieves, disease, bad weather and their own tendency to wander off.”

What better eyes than the watchful eyes of shepherds to witness the arrival of God’s own precious Lamb?

They were just ordinary people--and God wants ordinary people just like you and me to know how personal this gift really is.  Jesus is a gift to you & me – straight from God.

          God’s very special and personal gift is one of grace, forgiveness, healing, peace, hope, direction, promise, eternity – to all who will humbly accept.

          In the movie “Splash,” Tom Hanks meets a beautiful mermaid played by Darryl Hannah.  She doesn’t know much about life above water, but tries to live in New York City for a few days.  Tom Hanks buys her a present, wrapped up in a box with a ribbon around it and a bow on top. 

She looks at it and says, “Thanks!  It’s beautiful!  I love it!”  Then she sets it aside and gives him a hug.  He says, “It’s a gift.  You have to open it.”

          Jesus came as a gift wrapped in strips of cloth and lying in a manger.  But unless you accept him as your Savior and your King and your Lord – the gift really has no value to you.  Jesus is God’s gift!  

Open your life – let him come out of the manger, out of the pictures, out of the pages of the Bible, and become real.  Born in you.

          Some pretty weird stuff.   A world without Jesus would be a lot more weird.

In closing:

I need God’s gift.  We all need God’s gift. 

I’m hoping that before tonight is over you can say the same.