The Birth of Christ

It is a wonderful thing that the birth of Christ, and the announcement of that birth should come first to lowly shepherds.  Although these shepherds, quite unable to keep the details of the Judaic laws; take a special role in salvation history. 

They could not observe all the meticulous hand-washing, rules and regulations of the law.  Their flocks made far too constant demands on them for that.  Undisciplined in the ways of Judaism, uneducated, in the reading of the Torah, what they possessed was a sincere, simple, faith.  A faith which made their response of seeking out Christ possible.

When they found Christ they returned to shepherding changed people.  They now knew they were counted, valued, and loved by God.  Despite their lowly circumstances, despite the fact that most people didn't even know they existed, they had real joy and meaning because of their relationship with God.

What started out as a fearful event, turned into a joyful one.  A sense of isolation shattered by a sense of the sacred.  God is making a statement to all of us in the birth of Christ.  We who feel overlooked, neglected, fearful and feel of little importance.  The God of the universe not only knows how you feel, the God of the universe, the Creator of all things visible and invisible has experienced rejection on every level.  From the stable to the grave; Christ’s life is marked by rejection.

The apologist and author Ravi Zacharias bring us a good point when speaking about rejection and meaning when he states, "The quest for meaning, the pursuit for meaning, all over the world, humanity has this one, particular, aspect about them, whether they be atheists, agnostic or skeptic.  Somewhere in a person’s life is a drive to find meaning and to understand their existence.  My  question is this:  What does it take for a person to say, I have legitimately found meaning?"

For many people, meaning is not important.  What is important is that they be left alone.  However, when that wish is fulfilled, simply existing becomes utterly unbearable.

The shepherds didn't find meaning only in being Shepherds. They didn’t consider themselves special visionaries of angels.  They weren't looking to be the first apostles.  They simple wanted to share the news about this Child to others and then went back to their lives rejoicing.  What was there to rejoice over?  The simple fact that God is here to save.

The plan God is using to save is the same today, as it was yesterday, and it’s just as effective as it was two thousand years ago.  As the prophet Isaiah proclaimed: "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."

With the reality of such good news: God with us, who is for us and living inside of us, how could we not go back to the workplace like the shepherds - changed people?