And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field,
keeping watch over their flock by night. Luke 2:8
This month there are many women I know who are participating in Dressember, a month long effort to bring awareness to the prevalence of slavery in the world today and raise money to help eradicate human trafficking. My church, also just finished a two week commitment to Out of the Cold, an effort shared by 13 churches in Centre County to provide a hot meal and warm place to stay for those experiencing homelessness during the cold months of October through May. You may ask, "What does this have to do with shepherds?"
Few people lived on a lower rung of society in the world to which Jesus was born than shepherds. Though many believed in Jehovah God, I'm sure, they weren't welcome in the temple because they were considered perpetually unclean due to their work with animals. It is quite possible, in fact, that the shepherds who were watching their flocks in the fields that fateful evening were watching the flocks that would provide the coming year's Yom Kippur - Day of Atonement lambs. They would have likely been uneducated and had few possessions to their names. They probably were a fairly roughshod group, hardly ever able to participate in regular grooming. I'm quite sure they would have been smelly, if not from their own perspiration then from the smelly sheep they continually worked with. You get the picture. You and I would probably not cross the street to give them a big hug. And certainly society of those days would not have.
Yet these men were chosen of God. They were excluded from practically everything and God chose THEM?!?! Unlikely, I know. But our great God chooses the unlikely (foolish) of this world to shame the wise. Paul confirms this idea in his first letter to the Corinthians, who would have been highly educated people, by the way. "But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong." (1 Corinthians 1:27) God's message to the world in choosing to make the birth announcement of His Son to lowly shepherds is this: no one is excluded from the grace of God. Did you get that? NO ONE is excluded from the grace of God.
Jesus' ministry is a picture of this very concept. He didn't first go to the religious big wigs of His day; nor did he go to the wealthy, though certainly there is evidence that some of them followed Him. He chose to go to Samaritans (John 4), sinners and tax collectors (Matthew 9, 11, 21; Luke 5, 7,13) and others in the margins of life. The religious leaders of the day were always in an uproar about this very thing. (see previous texts)
As we celebrate Jesus' birth this year, it would be easy for us to overlook those who are already overlooked: the homeless, the addicted, the prostitute, the family barely able to survive from month to month. You probably won't even see them unless you choose to look for them. Yet it is not difficult to contribute to their needs without shifting much from the normal routines of life. Think about the bell ringer and red buckets of the Salvation Army. It is often to these residing at the "bottom of the barrel" the Salvation Army ministers. And they're everywhere at Christmas. If you're willing to go a little further there may be a homeless shelter that needs more volunteers, often overnight so you don't have the excuse it will cut into your work day. My daughter, Kirsten used to drive around Chicago (when she had a car) with a box of granola bars on her passenger seat. When she would be approached by homeless folks on the street while she waited at red lights she would offer them granola bars, which would speak to an immediate need for sustenance. She wanted them to know they were seen and had value. There are so many creative ways to help others who don't enjoy the amenities we have all come to accept as the norm. The truth is that these people matter to God. He demonstrates this when He sends angels to appear to those lowly shepherds.
Perhaps you just feel overlooked. You're depressed. You have an abusive boyfriend or parent. You feel overlooked for whatever reason (everything is included). The good news of Christmas and the gospel is that God has chosen you. You are worth something because the Creator of the universe has declared it so. Just as God extended an invitation to the shepherds, He extends an invitation to you as well. It is your choice whether to accept that invitation or not. We know that the shepherds did accept the invitation. Why wouldn't they? This was the news they had all been waiting for. No doubt they had been taught that Messiah was coming. Now told that they would be among the first to behold Him, they must have burst with joy and wonder. Actually we know they did for Luke tells us "the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them." (Luke 1:20) The joy of the Christmas, indeed, the joy available through Jesus is for EVERYONE. You included.
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