⁸ And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. ⁹ And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. ¹⁰ And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. ¹¹ For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. ¹² And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. ¹³ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, ¹⁴ Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. ¹⁵ And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. ¹⁶ And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.

We have now entered the four weeks before Christmas, which in the church year is known as the season of Advent. During this first season of the church calendar, the scriptural lessons we read in church will cause us to think about the gift God gives of a Messiah and who that Messiah is. Reading back into the history of this event, we know who the Messiah is – He is the Son of God and known to us as Jesus. Therefore, we anticipate spending these four weeks waiting for the moment when the angels in heaven sing to the whole world that a Savior has been born so we may give glory to God for this great gift.

I am wondering whether, if during these weeks leading up to Christmas, we might take to heart the verses printed above (Luke 2:8-16) and like the shepherds listen for the sounds of angels in our own life calling us to hear the good news and then to come and see this thing which is come to pass, the birth of the Christ?

How do we do that in our modern world? How do we travel “even unto Bethlehem” to see this great thing which has come to pass? And how do we feel about what the scriptures, the church, and our lives have made known to us over the years of our life?

I would like to propose that during this time before Christmas, each of us would make a concerted and intentional effort to:

• listen to the words of the scriptures and angels that tell us a Savior has been born unto us
• internalize what we hear and thankfully make it a part of our daily devotions and prayers
• consider what it means that with the birth of the Christ, there is to be glory to God in the highest and peace and good will towards our fellow man
• do everything we can, just as the shepherds did, to travel to the place where this is celebrated – let us make our journey to the Bethlehem that is to be found here at St. John’s each week in worship

The shepherds have always fascinated me, for they were the lowliest of the lowly and it is to them that the news of Christ’s birth is announced first, and their response was to immediately get up and go see this thing which the Lord had made known to them.

Perhaps what the shepherds did is what all of us can do during this Advent and Christmas Season. We can get up and offer our worship to God for this gift He has given. For it is in our worship and praise that we shall gain a better understanding of what it means to praise God for what he has done even as we share this news with others.

I pray that this Christmas will awaken in us a new awe and majesty as we marvel at what God has done. May we gather in church to offer our praise! May we share this good news with those we encounter in the world! And may we be changed forever because of what God has done for us on that first Christmas and every Christmas since! He has joined us in the human condition to redeem us. What wonderful news!

Merry Christmas!
Pastor Butler +