December 2017–Danny Sadler

For those of you who know me, you have probably noticed a habit of mine: I say “Merry Christmas” as a greeting or leaving thought, no matter what time of year it is.
The reason I do that may not be what most of you think. Yes, it does create a little chuckle most of the time, and we certainly don’t get enough chuckles these days, so part of my mission is to bring a little cheerfulness into our lives whenever I can.

But there is a deeper reason. We don’t really know the date of Christ’s birth. Many scholars have diligently tried to pinpoint the time, but the best anyone agrees on, was that Jesus was born sometime in a six-month-period between September and February. And it could have been as early as August or as late April. That’s a nine-month-period.
So, we don’t really know for sure when Jesus was born. And I suppose that it is possible that somehow the “experts” could have missed some detail–or the detail simply wasn’t given to them–and Jesus may have been born sometime in the three months that everyone has ruled out as a possibility.

When I study stuff like this, it makes my brain hurt! What we do know is that Jesus was born at night. Night time was the best time, because God wanted to announce the birth of His Son to all mankind! Or at least a handful of shepherds who were watching their flocks.

Imagine the scene as God set it up: The royal family in their dusty rags, relegated to the barn. A feed trough would have to make do as the first bed of the King of Glory! Outside the barn was the town of Bethlehem–a small agricultural community 8-10 miles south of Jerusalem. That was a two-to-three hour walk. In the early evening, the town may have been bustling a bit as travelers were passing through, taking rooms where they could find them.

Joseph and his young betrothed were a bit behind the crowd–arriving after everything was already full. So, their accommodations were not . . . first class. But the birth of the King was eminent and God wanted an audience to witness His love and the fulfillment of The Promise. And so Gabriel and the All Angel Choir took their places on the stage.
The world’s very first “Flash-Mob” was ready! Unsuspecting shepherds–society’s lowliest members–were about to be invited to become the first to hold audience with the “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

Some of the shepherds were milling around, softly talking to their sheep, or to each other. Other shepherds had undoubtedly taken their turn to catch a nap, entrusting their sheep to a fellow shepherd for a few hours.

Then without warning, suddenly the sky exploded in light! The shepherds were astounded, dumfounded, horrified, frozen in time and terrified! Some probably stood up with their mouths gaping. Others dropped their staffs, while still others grabbed a staff and ran for cover.

As the light swirled and jostled the shepherds awake, it finally settled on someone who was up on a large rock where everyone could see. The someone, it turns out, was no someone at all! He was an angel! And he spoke these immortal words:

10 . . .“Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, [Christ] the Lord. 12This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

–Luke 2:10-12, NIV

After the birth announcement, the angel choir sang, “Glory to God in the Highest” (Gloria, in excelsis Deo!). What a night–and it wasn’t over! For act two, the shepherds had to relocate to the town of Bethlehem. Whether they left all the sheep with one or two shepherds, or they just left the sheep to fend for themselves, we are not told. But what we do know is that the vast majority of the shepherds did two things that night.

1) They went and searched and found Joseph, Mary and the baby Jesus. And they worshiped Him! We don’t know how long they stayed, or exactly what their worship service looked like, but they worshiped the King of Glory! They were the lowliest. They were the first to receive invitations. They were the first to worship King Jesus. And they were the first to be changed!

2) And changed they were! When the shepherds left the stable that night, late as it was, they did not immediately return to work, or go home as we often do when we leave a worship service. Nope, they were changed. The Bible tells us that they left Joseph and Mary and rushed out to tell everyone they encountered what had happened that night!
It had been over a thousand years since God had promised to send the Messiah. It had been four hundred years since they had last heard from God. Suddenly, the silence was shattered by Light of Man. The Son of God had set foot into our world and that would become the news of the day for the rest of eternity!

As you know, God wasn’t finished with the birth announcement. At the same time the shepherds were receiving the Good News for the first time, somewhere in the distance, traveling at night, following a star, was a caravan of individuals bringing gifts. They were outsiders, aliens, foreign dignitaries coming to worship and pay homage to the new King!

Gold–the universal gift given to one recognized as a King!

Frankincense–a burning fragrance used by the Priest!

Myrrh–an embalming herb used to preserve the body after death–not exactly the normal gifts one might bring to a baby shower. But highly perfect for the King of Kings, The Great High Priest and the Savior who sacrificed Himself for each of us. Happy birthday, Jesus!

Merry Christmas everybody!