Rev Gav

Announcement

Luke 2:8-14

The Birth of Jesus

2 At that time the Roman emperor, Augustus, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Roman Empire. ² (This was the first census taken when Quirinius was governor of Syria.) ³ All returned to their own ancestral towns to register for this census. ⁴ And because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, David’s ancient home. He traveled there from the village of Nazareth in Galilee. ⁵ He took with him Mary, to whom he was engaged, who was now expecting a child.

⁶ And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. ⁷ She gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them.

The Shepherds and Angels

⁸ That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. ⁹ Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, ¹⁰ but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. ¹¹ The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! ¹² And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.”

¹³ Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying,

¹⁴ “Glory to God in highest heaven,
    and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”

¹⁵ When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

¹⁶ They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. ¹⁷ After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. ¹⁸ All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished, ¹⁹ but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often. ²⁰ The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them.

Jesus Is Presented in the Temple

²¹ Eight days later, when the baby was circumcised, he was named Jesus, the name given him by the angel even before he was conceived.

Reflect

If you were going to announce the arrival of a newborn royal king, to whom would you write? Perhaps you would let heads of state know — dignitaries, members of parliament, and your nation’s religious leaders? But if the story of Jesus’ birth already started with what looks like a blip — Jesus being born in an animal shelter — then God seems to have got it wrong again. God sent a troop of angels to announce the birth of Jesus, but they must have taken a wrong turn because they did not head for the temple, Herod’s palace, or the Roman governor’s villa. Instead they headed for the hills surrounding Bethlehem, and a solo angel appeared to… wait for it… shepherds.

Shepherds? God let shepherds be the first to know the good news of Jesus’ birth? Really? Angels are highly esteemed, heavenly messengers sent from God, and shepherds are low, earthly, manual labourers. Although shepherds were respected by society, they were pretty much your average working-class peeps, yet God let them know the good news before anyone else, and because this news was so great, the solo angel was joined by a huge choir of angels who burst into song. When the angels were gone it left the Shepherds not a little freaked out!

Firstly there was the whole animal shelter birth, and now sheep herders? Apart from an animal theme going on here, God is saying something deeply profound about who this Jesus was to be.

Even before the ministry of Jesus started, we see God’s heart for the poor, the marginalised, and the ordinary. God wants us to know that he identifies fully with us — with our human situations, difficulties, and circumstances. He wants us to know that he is for us, and he wants you to know that he is for you.

Do

Today, accept that Jesus came into the world for you.

Pray

Holy God
I find it so hard to believe you came for me.
Do you know what I’m like?
Do you know who I am?
And yet, you do know.
You know me better than I know myself.
Help me to welcome you, King Jesus
this day and for ever.
Amen.

Think

Why did God choose shepherds to be first to hear the good news of Jesus’ birth?

How does it make you feel, to know that God specifically wants you to know that Jesus came into the world for you?