Hello Everyone,

READ Luke 2:8-14 with me:
And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. ⁹ An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. ¹⁰ But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. ¹¹ Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. ¹² This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

¹³ Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

¹⁴ “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”

The fact that God made the announcement to shepherds helps us to understand the real meaning of Christmas. "God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son," & He chose to announce that to shepherds first of all.

Shepherds were at the opposite end of the social spectrum from King Herod & all the influential people of the day. They lived in the fields with their animals. They weren’t respected. They had no power or prestige.

Yet, God’s angel came to them & said, "Unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior who is Christ, the Lord." Unto shepherds a Savior was born.

In that one simple announcement God made known some very important truths.

First of all GOD KNOWS YOU, AND YOU ARE IMPORTANT TO HIM

"No matter how insignificant you may think you are, God knows you, & you are important to Him."

All throughout scripture we see God honoring & using people & things that the world often overlooks or ignores.

The Apostle Paul writes, "Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world & the despised things..."

1 Cor. 1:26-28a.

A Jewish youth was sold into slavery by his brothers & carted off to Egypt. Yet, when God wanted to deliver a very special message to Pharaoh, it was the slave, Joseph, who was brought out of the dungeon to interpret the message. God uses the lowly & despised to show His power.

Five thousand men, plus women & children, stayed late on a hillside one day, listening to Jesus. There was no food & the people were hungry. Well, that is not totally accurate. There was one little boy who had 2 fish & 5 little loaves. But it was enough, because God took that small amount & fed the many. He is always doing that, isn’t He?

So when God decided to select a mother for His Son, He went past the fashion salons & beauty parlors. He went past the furs & diamonds & gold, & went to an insignificant village called Nazareth. He found a peasant girl.

So when the Christ comes, He is born in a stable. He is wrapped in swaddling clothes & laid in a manger.

The world looks down its nose & says, "That’s foolishness." But Paul says, "The foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, & the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength." 1 Corinthians 1:25

When God makes His announcement, it is delivered to shepherds. It is like Jesus saying in the Sermon on the Mount, "If God cares about sparrows & lilies, then He cares about you." If God cares about shepherds, He cares about you!

We all need to hear that. All of us have known feelings of rejection. All of us have known feelings of being left out. Christmas comes. The light shines, & God says, "No! You’re wrong. I made the announcement to shepherds, & I make it to you. Unto you a Savior is born."

Greater Things Are Still To Come!

Pastor Phil