You Shepherds

 Luke 2:8-20

In A Charlie Brown Christmas, the Peanuts gang is getting ready to rehearse their Christmas play. Lucy is handing out the scripts… 

She goes to Frieda and says, “You’re the innkeeper’s wife.” Frieda: “Do innkeepers’ wives have naturally curly hair?” 

Then, Lucy goes to PigPen and says, “PigPen, you’re the innkeeper.” PigPen replies: “In spite of my outward appearance, I will try to run a neat inn.” 

Then Lucy goes to Shermy, and says: “Shermy, you’re a shepherd.” Shermy says:  “Every Christmas it’s the same. I always end up playing the shepherd.”

I always thought that line was just for me. When I was a kid, and it came time for the church Christmas pageant, it seems like I did play a shepherd every year. I never got to be Joseph, or the innkeeper, or even a wise man. Every year, I was a shepherd. 

I don’t know if that was your experience; if not, I’m here to rectify that. For tonight’s worship service, I want you to imagine that you are ALL shepherds…every single one of you! Can you do that? Can you be shepherds tonight?

And the first thing I gotta say to you shepherds is: You stink! All of you! You’re stinky… and filthy! You smell like sheep and dirt and sweat. 

Because, as a shepherd, you live with your sheep. You’re with them day and night, out in the fields. You lead them from place to place, you help them find food, you help them find water, you protect them from wild predators.

What you don’t do is sleep in a bed, indoors; and neither do you shower or bathe; at least, not very often. So, yeah; you stink.

And, you aren’t liked very much. No one really likes shepherds. (But don’t think about switching roles. You all agreed. You’re shepherds.)

Shepherds are necessary, because without them there’d be no milk, or wool, or lamb chops for dinner. Livelihoods depend on shepherds. The economy depends on shepherds. So they’re tolerated; but no one really likes them. 

Because, in addition to being stinky, you shepherds have a reputation of being a little rough around the edges. Not only do you live with animals - you’re a little animal-like yourselves. There's definitely a wildness to you. Something uncivilized.

In fact, I’m not exactly sure how it is that you got in here tonight. Do we not have any standards? Shouldn’t a Christmas Eve worship service have a certain level of dignity and decorum to it? What - do we just allow anyone to come in?

Apparently so.

I know; maybe you’re in here hiding from a landowner who chased you off his property. Is that it? Did you lead your sheep too close to his house? Did his dogs start barking at you? Did you try to take some water from his well? Did you make his wife nervous? Did you wake his children?

Or, maybe some soldiers are after you. Shepherds are always getting in trouble with the law. That’s just the type of people you shepherds are. What did you do? Did you not pay all your taxes to the government? Did you do something else to run afoul of the law?

Good grief. You shepherds sure are a troublesome bunch. If only we didn’t depend on you for wool, milk, and meat. If only you weren’t so essential to our economy. If only we could somehow get by without you…

It’s not much fun being a shepherd, is it? If there had been any other opportunities available to you, you surely would have taken one of those opportunities. But, in the Roman Empire, your opportunities are few and far between. You take what you can get.

I can think of some jobs like that today, some occupations, some very old occupations, that people get into, because they have no other options…because they’re desperate… 

Imagine that, one night, you and a few other shepherds are gathered around a fire. You keep the flames small and your voices low, because you don’t want to attract any attention. As a shepherd, you try your best to stay out of sight. Unnoticed. You don’t want any landowners or soldiers to come harass you or chase you away. You just want a quiet, peaceful night, and for a while, that’s what you get. 

You stand close to the fire to keep warm; you chat in hushed tones; and during lulls in the conversation, you hear your sheep snoring, [anyone tired of being a shepherd, and want to be a snoring sheep for us?] or a distant coyote howling [anyone want to howl for us?]; maybe all you hear is the quiet crackling of your fire, or maybe you hear nothing at all… just… silence…

BUT SUDDENLY, AN ANGEL APPEARS! Glorious light shines down upon you! A great chorus sounds! Can you imagine?

And you are all shook up, to borrow a phrase from a few weeks ago. All this noise, all this bright light… You expect some landowners to immediately come running; you expect to see soldiers appear without haste, their swords drawn.

What is going on?

But the soldiers don’t appear. The landowners don’t appear. It’s just you, your fellow shepherds, and the angel.

The angel says, “Do not fear!” The angel says, “I bring you good news of great joy!”

And you and your fellow shepherds wonder: Why? Why has this angel come to you? Of all people? I mean, come on - a savior - the long awaited messiah - is born, and the big announcement of this incredible event is made… to a bunch of shepherds?

This can’t be right. Shouldn’t the angel go and tell the high priests at the temple? Shouldn’t the angel go and tell the king? Shouldn’t the angel go and tell the emperor?

This is what you’re thinking. You’re so used to being ignored and overlooked, and you want to be ignored and overlooked, because the only time you’re not ignored or overlooked is when some authority is harassing you... The only time anyone ever pays attention to you is for all the wrong reasons. The only time anyone ever pays attention to you is to bring you bad news.

But this angel is bringing you good news. Good news of great joy. 

Because this time, no one is harassing you. No one is chasing you away. This time, you are included. This time, you are welcome. This time, you have been noticed in the most positive way.

This good news and great joy is for all people. Not just high priests. Not just kings and emperors. Not just the wealthy and powerful. But even for people as lowly and despised as you shepherds… Especially for people as lowly and despised as you shepherds.

Because now, the first become last, and the last become first.

And, at least for this announcement, there is no need to fear. No soldiers will be drawn to this announcement. No spies are around to hear it. Because nothing is going to stop this good news from being good news.

This good news is for you, all you shepherds. Good news of great joy. Good news of hope, peace, and love as well. 

This time, you are not left out.

This good news is for you, whoever you are.

This good news is for you, all you who have been overlooked or cast out.

This good news is for you, all you who do the most difficult work, work that no one else wants to do, work that you don’t want to do, but you have no other choice.

This good news is for you, all you who shine your light proudly, and all you who hide in the shadows.

This good news is for you, all you who’ve been told to “get out, go back home,” even when there is no home to go back to.

This good news is for you, all you who think you’re not enough - all you who think you’re not old enough, not young enough, not smart enough, not rich enough, not pretty enough, not strong enough. You are enough, and this good news is for you.

This good news is for you, all you who celebrate Christmas in homes filled with people and noise, and all you whose homes are as silent as nights the shepherds knew.

This good news is for you, all you who believe, and all you who struggle to believe, and all you who have been told that what you believe isn’t good enough. 

This good news is for you, all you who maintain a perception of perfection but who fall apart on the inside.

This good news is for you, all you poor ordinary people.

This good news is for you; good news of hope, peace, joy, and love.