Are You Ready to Rejoice in a Little Lowbrow Good News?
Good Morning Friends,
Today is December 7th and the date is known for its bad news. So as a counter to that reality and event that surprised so many in a negative way we turn to the story of the angels bringing the “good news” of the birth of Jesus to, and this is the surprise, the shepherds. In this scripture we see how the fact that God made the announcement to shepherds helps us to understand the real meaning of Christmas. And in understanding, we rejoice that “God so loved the world that He sent His only begotten Son.” But today we also rejoice that God invited a bunch of uneducated, smelly, low-class, religious outcasts to His birth. So yes, today has a history of being of bad news. So, Are You Ready to Rejoice in a Little Lowbrow Good News?
Scripture: And how are they to proclaim him unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”
Romans 10:15 (NRSV)
In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!” When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.” So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.
Luke 2:8-20 (NRSV)
One of the scribes came near and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, he asked him, “Which commandment is the first of all?” Jesus answered, “The first is, ‘Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one; you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” Then the scribe said to him, “You are right, Teacher; you have truly said that ‘he is one, and besides him there is no other’; and ‘to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the strength,’ and ‘to love one’s neighbor as oneself,’–this is much more important than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.” When Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” After that no one dared to ask him any question.
Mark 12:28-34 (NRSV)
Message: What matters most if it is not love? Is not love of our neighbor a natural outgrowth of our love of God? So what keeps us back? What keeps us from reaching beyond and growing? Certainly it cannot be more difficult for you and me than it is for the poor. Ever wonder what Christmas means to a family of farm laborers, or one of the 809 homeless children living in Collier County in 2016 or a limping orphan living in the rubble of Port-a-Prince, Haiti or a poor Ethiopian woman living in a hut in a drought ridden village or a young Guatemalan child living on the streets of Guatemala City. I am sure it means different things for different people. They, like the shepherds in the Christmas story live at opposite ends of the social strata with all the influential people of the day. Respect, power and prestige elude them. They, in many ways are like the shepherds in today’s scripture. The message in the announcement is that God knows each of us regardless of our social status. The message is that we, and the lives we live, are all important to Him. In coming to the shepherds first, scripture implies that those who watch and care for His sheep…the lambs of sacrifice… are important…that the farm laborer family, the limping orphan in Haiti, the Guatemalan child, the Ethiopian woman and Collier homeless children are important… that those who live by faith because they have little else matter. Friends, if we do not identify with shepherds…if we identify with the social and religious elite, the gifted, the accomplished, the powerful, only, then we need to recognize that we do not have a head start in experiencing God becoming one of us. Maybe that is why Linus in a Charlie Brown Christmas story is given the passage from Luke to read. Maybe that is why we should experience the event of the Advent of Christ as a child.
Pray we stop comparing ourselves to others thinking we are better. Pray we realize that God gave us worth at our birth. Pray we become people who reach beyond our existence. Pray we open up our lives and grow into the full and abundant life God wants to give each of us. Pray we discover the heart of the matter and share in kindness a response to the Great Commandment. Pray that Christ gets everything He wants for Christmas. Pray that He is born into our very hearts, not just on Christmas but also this day and every day. Pray that we rejoice when God chooses the foolish to shame the wise…when God chooses the weak to shame the strong. Pray that we humble ourselves before God, so that He doesn’t have to do it for us. Pray we boast only in the Lord. Pray that we respond when called. Pray that we are obedient in sharing the good news now knowing that the poor may have heard it in their hearts long before the message touched ours. Pray on those days we get bad news we remember the good news.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 