Returning to Normalcy

Returning to Normalcy

Luke 2:8-20

It had already been a long night for Andrew.  One of the sheep had wandered into a pit as the sun was setting, and Andrew had to pull him out and carry him to the new grazing site.  Shortly afterwards, something spooked the sheep and Andrew, Michael, Simon and Abraham spent nearly 2 hours walking through the flock to ensure there weren’t any snakes or predators hiding among the sheep.  By the time Andrew was finally able to sit down to eat his dinner, the stars were out and his stomach was churning.  He was tired, hungry and wanted to get some sleep, but unfortunately, it was his turn to take the first watch of the night.  Andrew needed to find a way to fight off his exhaustion for a few hours or the flock and his paycheck would be at risk. 

The man who owned the flock that Andrew watched over was a strict man who didn’t have patience for mistakes.  He paid Andrew and the other men a fair wage, but only if the sheep remained healthy and safe.  Any loss or injury was deducted from their payment, and a lost sheep could mean a whole week’s wage!  Shepherding was a difficult job that nobody wanted, yet was essential for the local economy.  In fact, Andrew was still amazed at how rude and disrespectful to him despite the need for good shepherds. 

Some people in town would openly exclaim that he stank like sheep and sweat; others pretended he was nonexistent, and a few would whisper that he was probably a drunk like the rest of the shepherds.  Most of the time Andrew didn’t care what people said, but it hurt deeply the time he heard a father warn his sons to obey the law or God would force them a shepherd one day.  Shepherding may not have been a glamorous profession, but at least it provided for his needs and benefited the community. 

As the night wore on, Andrew’s eyes grew tired.  He tried to keep his eyelids open by splashing water onto his face and raising his eyebrows, but that trick didn’t help for long.  His eyelids began to flutter as he tried to fight the sleep, and eventually he succumbed to the silence of the night.  “Just a quick nap” he thought to himself, and immediately drifted into a deep sleep.

Suddenly a bright light pierced the darkness, and Andrew’s eyes snapped open.  He was disoriented from the sleep, but it looked like a man was on fire and descending from the sky.  Andrew rubbed his eyes and shook his head back and forth rapidly before finally realizing that he was not dreaming: a man was hovering above the ground with a bright light surrounding him.  Andrew was too bewildered to notice the other shepherds beginning to wake, but was snapped out of his shock by Simon’s shriek. 

“What is...who is...what is going on?”  Abraham stuttered, turning towards Michael who was frozen in shock. 

Suddenly the angel spoke, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.   And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.”

The shepherds looked at each other in confusion.  “The Christ?” Andrew whispered to Simon, “As in the coming prophet that Moses spoke about?” 

Simon yelled to the angel as he ascended into the sky, “Do you mean the descendant of King David who will restore the nation?  What do you mean he will be in a manager?” 

Confusion overtook the shepherds.  Why would an angel announce the birth of a king to them?  Why would a king be born in a cattle trough?  Before the angel gave them an answer though, a loud boom cracked across the sky as a million stars began to fall from the sky singing, “Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”

As the stars neared the shepherds, the shape of a man began to appear within each of the bright light.  The angels approached the shepherds with arms stretched towards the heavens and the vibration of their voices shaking the earth.  The shepherds watched the celebration with a mixture of fear and wonder; falling to their knees in worship as time stood still for them. 

After what seemed to be an eternity, the angels began to ascend into the heavens again, reminding them that the baby would be in a manger.

“Let’s go!” Simon yelled in excitement.

“Go where,” asked Michael, “There must be 100 houses in Bethlehem with cattle troughs.”

Simon was passionate about everything, but Michael simply thought he was impulsive and impatient.  The two of them fought often, and tonight was no different.

“You are afraid, Michael,” Simon mocked, “just admit it!”  Michael clenched his teeth and prepared to charge Simon, until Abraham stepped between them.

“Enough,” Abraham snapped at the two men, before softening his voice.  “The angel gave us a sign to recognize the baby.  God wouldn’t have given us a sign, unless he wanted us to look for him.  Let’s go, and trust God to guide us.”

Abraham’s logic made sense, so they immediately began the walk towards Bethlehem.

The walk into town typically took an hour and a half, but the adrenaline and brisk air cut the time in half.  The town was quiet and dark, forcing the men to reconsider Abraham’s logic.

“Maybe God gave us the sign so we could look for the baby in the morning,” Michael mumbled, feeling the disappointment and drowsiness set in.

“Yes, I actually agree with Michael on this one, Abraham,” Simon whispered, “Our excitement distracted us from how late it was.  Everyone’s sleeping and we’ve left our sheep alone”

“The sheep!” Michael yelped, “I can’t afford to lose a week’s salary.”     

“Shh, keep it down,” Abraham whispered, “Did you hear that?”

All of the men stopped in their tracks and strained their ears to hear a noise from sleeping town.  Just then a small whimper broke out from down the street.  As the shepherds began to walk towards the sound, they noticed a soft glow coming from one of the houses.  The shepherds began to nervously brush the dirt from their robes and use their fingers to comb their hair as they neared the house.  No one was talking, each was too busy thinking about the angel’s words. 

Standing outside the fence of the house, they listened to the voices from inside, trying to understand the conversation.  Simon pressed against the fence with his ear on the door, but was hesitant to knock.  Eventually the sound of a baby cooing was recognized by Simon, and he whispered to the guys, “it’s them!” 

Abraham approached the door and softly knocked.  A voice from the house immediately responded and opened the gate. 

“Excuse me, sir,” said Abraham, “we are here to see the new baby.”

The man had an embarrassed look upon his face, and replied, “Yes, I am sorry if we woke you, but as you know, baby’s have a mind of their own.”  He then chuckled awkwardly while inviting them in.  As the shepherds followed the man towards the barn, they looked at each other with anticipation.  With each step towards the child, faith began to replace their doubts.

“How will this change our lives,” Andrew thought to himself.  “Why were we chosen, and what will it mean?”

Andrew’s thoughts were interrupted by Abraham’s voice, “Andrew, you saw him first, what exactly happened?”

Andrew realized that the baby’s mother and father were asking the shepherds why they left their flocks in the middle of the night to meet their son, so Andrew began to retell the wonders that they saw that night.

By the time Andrew finished speaking, he could see the astonishment on everyone’s face.  The baby’s parents were the only ones who responded differently.  The mother looked deep in thought, while the father’s face had a look of relief. 

After kneeling down before the child, the shepherds admitted that they needed to hurry back towards their sheep.  They kissed Mary’s forehead, shook Joseph’s hand, and began the long cold walk back toward the hills. 

About 30 minutes into the journey Andrew felt a hand touch his shoulder.  Andrew looked up to see Abraham walking alongside of him.

“Are you okay,” Abraham asked, “You’ve been deep in thought since we left.  What’s wrong?”

Andrew blushed realizing that he had been thinking about his job. 

“Well,” began Andrew, “I’m wondering how this will change our lives.”

“What do you mean?” Abraham replied.

“Look, we just had an amazing experience.  Angels descended from the sky and told that the baby we just visited was the promised Messiah.  Only the prophets see angels, and I’m wondering if we are going to be called into service like Elijah was.”

“Hmm,” Abraham mumbled, “I guess it’s possible…” he responded before being cut off by Andrew.

“I mean, how can I go back to shepherding after this?”  Andrew protested with a sense of exasperation. 

“But Andrew,” Abraham began, “I have never heard you complain about shepherding before.”

Andrew interrupted Abraham before he could finish.  “Maybe not, but that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t!”  Abraham listened in confusion as Andrew continued.  “People treat us like dirt.  We are disrespected, mocked and paid poorly.  Sure, I enjoy the freedom of being with the sheep, but why do we let people treat us this way?  God chose us: we are special and people need to see that.  I can’t go back to shepherding after what I’ve experienced tonight!”

Abraham could see how troubled Andrew was, so took a long pause before replying.

“It is true that God has given us a very special experience Andrew, but that may not mean he wants to change our position in life.  What if this experience is just God’s way of showing us that we matter to him? Is His love good enough for you?

Thoughts to consider:

1. Have you ever thought that God’s love wasn’t enough to satisfy your desires?  What caused you to feel that way? 

2. What do you focus on more frequently: getting more stuff and becoming more successful, or on following God more faithfully?  Do you look at successful non-Christians and feel jealous or grateful?

3. Have you had a once in a lifetime experience that made it hard to be content with your current position in life?  (Getting accepted into a certain college, having a “mountaintop experience” with God, etc)

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