Sometimes, when we look at the Christmas story, it almost seems like a fairy tale, doesn’t it? ‘Lowing cattle as Mary gives birth in a barn, while the little drummer boy looks on. There’re shepherds summoned by little flying cherubs; and soon the three kings—Gaspar, Balthazar, and Melchior—follow the bright star to that first century barn in order to lay their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh at the base of the little wooden manger filled with straw…
This version of the story makes for great Christmas carols, but did it really happen that way? Tonight, we’re going to explore what really happened on that holy night 2,000+ years ago. Hopefully, we’ll begin to see the story as anything but a fairy tale—in all its grit, earthiness, and reality. Listen now, as we’re reminded of that holy night long, long ago … through Luke’s version of the story:
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. – Luke 2:8-20 (NLT)
I’ve been to the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, coming in from ‘Manger Square,’ through the ‘Door of Humility,’ where you have to bow down to get into the church itself. You walk through the church from the back, up to the front, and enter a stairway beside the raised chancel area. Then you go down to a cave that the church is built over (2nd century). As you descend the stairs, the primary focal point is ahead and to the left—a fourteen-point star fixed to marble on the ground. On the star are Latin words that mean “Here Jesus Christ was born to the Virgin Mary.” Visitors often kneel & touch the star…
As you’re standing at the star where Jesus was born, if you look to the side you’ll notice several steps leading down to a smaller room to the right. This is the ‘Chapel of the Manger,’ where it’s believed Jesus would’ve been laid in a feeding trough—a manger…
If you close your eyes, while in the cave, you can almost imagine Mary giving birth in this place on that first Christmas night. In your mind’s eye you can picture clay oil lamps set into the walls … straw on the floor … and a midwife kneeling before Mary, who sits on a birthing stool. You can just imagine Mary’s cries, the bustle of activity, a terrified Joseph, and finally the cries of the newborn King. This, folks, was no ‘silent night.’ But it was a holy night for sure…
Throughout this season, we’ve seen Joseph & Mary in this story and now baby Jesus … but, who else was a part of this story? What players had significant roles in this plan of God’s—this ‘good news of great joy for all people?’ Folks, let’s look first at…
THE REALITY OF THE SHEPHARDS. A couple of things you needs to know here…
They didn’t have a great reputation! According to first-century law, shepherds could not testify in court; they could not be trusted. That was their reputation…
They didn’t have a great existence! Let me share a bit about these night-shift shepherds…
I found out some time ago that there were probably only two shifts in those days—day-shift or night-shift… So, these were ‘Night Shift Shepherds’—the very worst kind!
These shepherds were at the lower end of the socio-economic ladder…
They were usually uneducated, usually poor, and since they lived among the animals and the elements, sometimes they smelled like dirty sheep…
Because these shepherds were typically not land-owners, they grazed their flocks on the land of their neighbors … which sometimes created tension… (‘Ever had those neighbors that love to let their dog loose in your yard?)
Shepherds were tolerated, but not always well-regarded by their neighbors…
Folks, when Luke tells us that the shepherds were the first to be invited to see the Christ-child, first-century hearers would not have found this appealing, but shocking! What in the world was God up to?
Now, despite the fact shepherds were considered among the lower-ranking members of society, I find it interesting that God referred to himself as a shepherd and to his people as sheep. Don’t you find that interesting? And, besides that:
When God chose a people for himself, God chose sheepherders…
When God chose young David as the great king over Israel, God chose … a shepherd boy…
When God promised one day to send a new king, like David, God described the coming king as a shepherd who would search for lost sheep (Ez. 34)…
When the child born in the stable became a man, he would describe himself as ‘the good shepherd’ who would lay down his life for his sheep…
Once again, we find the story of Jesus’ birth to be nothing like a fairy tale. Instead, it’s a very earthy story, marked by a boatload of humility! Here’s another reality of this night…
THE REALITY OF THE ANGELS. The story really isn’t about their looks… Some picture angels that are talked about in the Bible as little winged cherubs, flitting about and whispering sweet words of Good News for all to hear … but really? Most often in the Bible, angels simply appear as people. The writer of Hebrews says (13:2): “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it.” Angels typically appear as strangers, not as winged cherubs…
Again, the story really isn’t about the look of angels; the story’s really about their function. Angels were ‘messengers.’ That was their primary function—to carry messages from God to whomever God needed to get a message to. In the Christmas story, Luke wants us to notice the words of this stranger (2:10-11): “…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!’” Good news of great joy … for all the people—this is what the birth of Jesus really is! And how we crave good news of great joy!
Folks, Jesus came to save us from the bad news that so permeates our culture today—that bad news that absolutely surrounds us. And he came to be for us “good news of great joy.” Once the stranger, the angel, announced this good news to the shepherds, something happened! Do you remember? Suddenly there appeared out of the shadows, on the hillsides, a company of strangers. It was as though, with the announcement of this good news, the company of strangers could no longer keep silent … and began to praise God!
Something astounding started in the cave in Bethlehem—something that would not be completed until this child walked out of another cave some 33 years later, following his crucifixion… This was the GOOD NEWS that that company of strangers could no longer keep to themselves. We could, in fact, all be saved! This was God’s plan for our lives … and the angels played an incredible role in God’s master plan…
Folks, we too have an important role to play in the Christmas story! I believe in the heavenly variety of angels, but I also believe they’re a kind of example for us of what God expects us to be and to do. We’re God’s servants as well—God’s messengers…
We’re called to announce the good news of Jesus Christ…
We’re called to offer God’s peace & hope to others—giving glory to God and following in the footsteps of those heavenly messengers…
While in the Holy Land, I’ve had the privilege of learning the importance of … the manger—the feeding trough that Jesus’ was laid in his first night on this earth. I knew the manger was important, but the more I studied Luke’s account, the more I realized just how important it was. Luke actually mentions the manger 3 times: 1) The child was laid in a manger (2:7), 2) the angels announced to the shepherds that this was a part of a sign to them (2:12): a child … lying in a manger, and 3) the shepherds found the child ‘lying in the manger’ (2:16). I began to realize that ‘the manger’ was not only a sign for the shepherds, but also for us…
The manger or feeding trough is not just a sign of Jesus’ humility; a feeding trough is where God’s creatures come to eat—to get nourished…
- This is a sign to us—a sign of something greater to come…
Moses said (Deut. 8:3), “One does not live by bread alone,” signifying that there is something deeper we hunger for…
Jesus, I believe, alluded to what Moses said when he stated (John 6:35), “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”
And Jesus, who called himself ‘the bread of life,’ who alone can satisfy the deepest hunger of our souls, was born in the town of Bethlehem—‘House of Bread’—and was laid to sleep on that first night in a trough where God’s creatures ate…
What we really hunger for will not be found under a Christmas tree on Christmas morning! What we really hunger for is … meaning in life, joy, hope in the face of despair. We hunger to know we can be forgiven and start anew after things we regret. We hunger for a love that will not let us go … and for life & triumph in the face of death. These things come through a baby that was born in a stable, laid to rest in a feeding trough, and visited by night-shift shepherds. He is our ‘bread of life!’ And we must come to the stable (the manger) to satisfy the deepest desires of our hearts…
I invite you to come to the manger this Christmas and to eat of this bread…
I invite you to choose to become a follower of this Jesus, born in a stable, and laid in a manger … and to put your trust in him…
Folks, the Apostle John once said (1:12): “…all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become the children of God.” Christmas is the perfect time to call out to God … and to his son, Jesus. Would you join me in a word of prayer, asking the Christ of the Manger to be King, Lord and Savior of your life?