Messengers, Shepherds and Redemption Songs

Sermon "notes" from Sunday, December 30th.  I was using Luke 2:8-20 as my text.

If you’ve seen the animated movie of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer you might remember the song that Rudolph and his friend Hermey sing:

“We're a couple of misfits / We're a couple of misfits / What's the matter with misfits / That's where we fit in!

Why am I such a misfit? / I am not just a nit wit! / I'm an adorable reindeer / Why don't I fit in?

Why am I such a misfit? / I am not just a nit wit! / They can't fire me. / I QUIT!”

I’m a sucker for misfits, personally.  The Goonies is one of my favorite movies, I loved cheering for the Patriots when they were underdogs (If you can remember back that far…), I fell in love with our last cat, Libby, because she was the runt of the litter. In fact, that’s the ‘chink in my armor’ that my wife exploited so that we would bring Libby home from the farm.

Growing up and into my early 20s I never really identified that the gospel was for misfits, too.  I always thought that Jesus only loved the holy people, people who had their lives together, the pretty folks, “The Beautiful People”…not misfits, underdogs, ragamuffins, Goonies and sinners.  But, at least in Luke’s gospel, the first declaration of Good News, the first “Evangelion” comes to misfits, outcasts, the shady, street-savvy shepherds.

It’s important to get the historical context behind Shepherds, because we, in the contemporary church, have cleaned up Christmas to pretty pastoral images that give us little understanding of who was actually there.

Shepherds were poorly educated; they did not own land; they pretty much lived with the sheep day in and day out, which means they smelled like live-stock and earth and a general lack of hygiene.  Our pretty nativity shepherds compared to the real deal are like Gene Autry versus Fist Full of Dollars or Good, Bad, Ugly Clint Eastwood.  You’ve got pretty, cologne-scented people and leather, sweat and earth.

Shepherds were (and still are) humble underdogs that nobody really wants to be around, and it is to these folks that the good news is declared.

Luke says they were watching their flocks by night and that an angel, a messenger of God, appears to them with God’s glory shining all around, and the shepherds were terrified.  Luke’s words right there, “And they were terrified.” Greek is “Megas Phobeo” Megas = Big…Phobeo = Fear.  They had big fear at the messenger and God’s glory.  They were terrified.  Why? Because they are shepherds.  They are dirty, smelly, nasty sheep tenders standing in the presence, the evidence, the sure sign of God’s presence.  That’s the glory of the Lord; the splendor, brightness, magnificence and majesty of God.

Now you might remember that I described shepherds as uneducated and maybe you’re thinking that they wouldn’t know about the glory of the Lord—the kabod (“ka-vode”) Yahweh.  But these are good, observant first century Jewish folks who know their Torah and they know that the the Kabod Yahweh means if you’re not holy, you stay the heck away!  

So as they back away in fear the angel says, “phobeo me”…”fear not”…”no fear!”…”Do Not Be Afraid!” That, in and of itself, is good news!  

The glory of God is shining and the message is “don’t be afraid!” 

Don’t be afraid I have good news for you and for all people.  A Savior is born! The messiah is born! And he is here for everyone, not just a Jewish Messiah, not just a Gentile Messiah, not an American Savior, or a Representative for the Righteous and Holy Ones.  He is the Rescuer of the Whole of Humanity!  He hasn’t come to stand in judgment with the “holier than thou’s”; he’s come to be in solidarity with those who feel stuck in squalor…to lift us up from the miry clay and teach us HIS new song!

This is how you find him, the messenger says.  This is where you’ll find him, the messenger says.  The angel doesn’t say, “Hey Sinners! A Savior’s been born and you better find him soon!” Like some kind of sacred scavenger hunt.  No.  “This is how you find him,” the messenger says.  “This is where you’ll find him,” the messenger says…and then the sky explodes with light and song.  Creation and the heavens cannot hold the joy any longer and a multitude of messengers break forth into the song of God’s glory—they sing of the declaration of God’s peace—teaching us the song we are to sing as a rescued people.

Songs about being rescued from loneliness, rescued from shame, rescued into the light, rescued into peace—songs of deliverance—redemption songs.  Bob Marley sings it like this:

Won't you help to sing / These songs of freedom? - / 'Cause all I ever had: / Redemption songs - / All I ever had: / Redemption songs: / These songs of freedom, / Songs of freedom.

And the multitude of heavenly hosts sings it like this: “Glory to God in the highest heaven and on earth peace among those whom he favors!”  Peace!  Peace!  I don’t know about you but knowing that peace is God’s gift to those whom he favors (and if you look at the previous message from the one angel the good news is for all peoples!) is good news in turbulent times, a respite in busy-ness, and calm in chaos.  

God holds out to us in the birth of his Son…peace—freedom from fear—not freedom from bad things, but freedom to not be afraid if and when trouble strikes, because God has stepped into our world to be with us in all of it.  

Peace is a gift I need.  And maybe it’s something you need, too.

After the multitude of heavenly host departs, the shepherds are faced with a choice.  They can stay there, reflect and do nothing; confident in the knowledge that God has acted decisively on our behalf, do a “Wow, THAT was cool!” and move on—kind of like Clark Griswold and family at the grand canyon in the movie Vacation—OR they can respond to it, visit this Jesus they’ve been told about, and become messengers themselves.  As unlikely as shepherd angels might seem…

I grew up with the advent of home computers: the Texas Instruments Computers, the Tandy Color Computer, and the high-speed, super slick Commodore 64.  If you’re of that generation, or if you remember it you’ll also remember typing line after line after line of BASIC code to get a chunky, 30 second bit of program to run.  

If there is a final point to this whole message it’s kind of akin to BASIC.  

10 Clear All

20 Print, “Good news of great joy for all the peoples!”

30 Go to 20

Those who know the Messiah/ Jesus, “sing” about him to others (shepherds, kings, learned people, not so educated people, good people, bad people…all people!) and those others who hear our “songs” about Jesus visit Jesus, meet with Jesus, get to know and be known by Jesus and leave as messengers who “sing” about Jesus to “all the peoples.”

If there is a final point, it’s that we’re meant to become messengers.  We’re meant to sing redemption songs to the world, the whole world.  As unlikely as we may seem, think about who the angels went to.  Not to the priests in the temple, but to shepherds in the field.  Not to clean, washed, pretty-smelling holy-holy folks, but to dirty, unwashed, nasty-smelling not-so-very holy at all folks.  Folks that give me hope.  Folks I can relate to, folks maybe you can relate to.