That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.”
~Luke 2:8-12
As we prepare our hearts for Christmas, I thought I would be "Orthodox" and use this week to discuss the Christmas story, but be Unorthodox in looking at it from outside the box, so to speak, and in no particular order. So grab some coffee and let's begin.
Imagine you are a shepherd. Your job is to care for the sheep. The owner of the flock has charged you with their care. This means you will live with the sheep, take them to food and water, you will protect them, because if you lose even one, YOU will have to pay and pay dearly. So you live with the sheep. You bathe with the sheep. You eat when they eat. When they sleep, you must be alert (because the predators become brave in the dark). Being a shepherd is not exactly what one would call a "glamorous" profession. After all, shepherds would not be the ones you would invite to dinner or to a company party because, let's face it, they smell like sheep.
Now remember you are a shepherd and the sheep have bedded down for the night. It's your team's turn to keep watch. About midway through your watch, when the night is at its most quiet and you feel yourself fading into that twilight phase between awake and asleep. Then suddenly there's a bright light right in front of you. Then you realize that there's a human looking shape that's glowing so brightly. Having never seen anything like this before, you aren't sure how to react. This is when Freeze, Fight or Flight kicks in, except you realize that you are SO terrified that you cannot move.
In the middle of your mind reaching explosion phase and your heart is just about to stop, you hear a soothing voice tell you: "Don't be afraid. I have come to give you some GOOD news."
Now.....fast forward a couple of thousand years.....I am in Basic Training in a foxhole keeping watch by night. Our Drill Sergeants have already taken the opportunity to sneak in and take the weapons from several of the sleeping sentries. I am determined I'm not going to be among them, so I do everything I can to stay away while my buddy gets a few hours sleep. Then I hear it! The distinctive silence of the absence of the crickets' chirping, this was followed a few seconds later by the clear crack of a twig being stepped on. I can almost hear my heart pounding in my ears as I call out the challenge. Then I see a bright light coming at me..... One of the Drill Sergeants, realizing he'd been heard, came charging with his massive flashlight shining in my face. I had just enough time to yell to my buddy and get three shots off (blank rounds) before I heard the Drill Sergeant laughing and telling me "It's okay Private, you did good." He told me that the terrified look on my face was far too funny. I looked to my buddy, but only saw an empty space where he had been. My buddy had run off into the woods!
Can you even imagine how mortified the shepherds were when this radiant being just appears and tells them "Don't be afraid"? When you are upset, how do you feel when someone (well meaning though they may be) says "Just calm down"? Is it going to calm you down?
Then the angel tells the shepherds that he has some GOOD news for them. Okay.....fear is calming....something good is coming. THEN the angel tells them that the prophecy of the Savior has been fulfilled and gives them directions on where to find Him.
So let me ask you...when God tells you, "Don't worry. Don't be afraid. I've got you." What is the reaction we have? Freeze, Flight, Fright.......or Faith?
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