LAST SUNDAY, as part of my training as a Methodist minister, I shared this short reflection during a carol service at Wesley Church Centre in Chester:
‘Do not be afraid; for see – I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people.’
Hello, my name’s Kieran and I’m a minister in training. I’ve joined the ministry team here at Wesley, and this is my first Christmas with you.
It’s clearly not my first Christmas ever though! So, what new light can I shed on this story of ‘good news of great joy for all the people’? A story that has been told continuously for more than 2000 years?
In these few minutes, I’ll explore five simple questions about Luke’s account of the angel’s message to the shepherds [Luke 2: 8-20]. Some of the answers surprised me – maybe they will surprise you too?
The first question is: Who?
To whom did the angel, God’s messenger, first share the news of the birth of Jesus? In the Jewish faith at that time, shepherds were outcasts. ‘Unclean’ because they worked with livestock. Treated as undesirable people for doing an undesirable job. God chose outcasts, not religious or political leaders, to be the first to hear of the birth of Jesus.
The second question is: Where?
God did not start sharing this good news at the temple in Jerusalem. Instead, it started on a hill in Judea, near Bethlehem. The prophet Micah in the Hebrew Bible speaks of Bethlehem, a small insignificant town, as the birthplace of the Messiah; ‘a ruler who is to shepherd my people Israel’ [Micah 5:2]. In Christian tradition this prophecy foretells the coming of Jesus, who fulfills this role as leader and liberator.
The third question is: When?
We hear that the shepherds were ‘keeping watch over their flock by night’. Typically, sheep grazed during the day, and were brought into sheepfolds at night. So these shepherds working an undesirable night shift was unusual. Some Bible scholars think watching their flock by night could mean these lambs were destined for sacrifice at the Temple in Jerusalem. They needed continuous supervision to ensure they remained unblemished. So maybe the announcement of the birth of Jesus, whom John the Baptist called
‘the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world’ [John 1:29]
was made in the presence of unblemished sacrificial lambs, whose Temple sacrifices for centuries foreshadowed the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus the Messiah.
The fourth question is: Why?
The angel says:
‘I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people’ [Luke 8:10]
And the heavenly host responds:
‘on earth peace among those whom God favours’ [Luke 8:14]
Is there a contradiction here? Is this message for ‘all people’ or only ‘those whom God favours’?
I don’t think there is a contradiction. The angel’s message is ‘for all people’, and God chooses the undesirable outcast to be the first to hear it. Perhaps God favours everyone, without exception, if we are open to hearing this good news.
The next people to hear the news are the wise folk from the east. In Christian tradition, they come from Arabia or Ethiopia, Persia [modern day Iran], and India. They are often portrayed with different skin colours. They were not from Israel, and unlikely to have been Jewish. So, this Messiah is not just ‘a ruler who is to shepherd my people Israel’ [Micah 5:2].
The fifth and final question is ‘What next?’
I had never noticed what Luke says the shepherds did after seeing Mary, Joseph and Jesus:
‘they made known what had been told them about this child; and all who heard it were amazed’ [Luke 8:17-18].
… and they
‘returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen’ [Luke 8:20].
Not only were the shepherds the first to hear this ‘good news of great joy’ – they were also the first to share it.
I wonder, what might they have said, and how this might have changed them?
I wonder if we can listen for God’s good news today, from surprising people, in surprising places, at surprising times, and in surprising ways.
And how might we share this ‘good news of great joy’ this Christmas and beyond?
Just as Jesus’ birth brought together people from near and far, from different cultures and beliefs, and from rich and poor circumstances, so his life was a living demonstration of God’s love and invitation to everyone, everywhere.
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