CYPRESSWOOD CHURCH OF CHRIST

December 5, 2004

PLEASE PRAY FOR:

Our nation, leaders and military                                  Our college students

David and Leon in the Navy                                        Our congregation

Various friends, relatives and co-workers

EVENTS:

Dec. 25 - Christmas

Jan. 1    - New Year’s Day

BIRTHDAYS:

4^th - Stephanie Vaughn          9^th - Larry Ross Sr.        15^th - Susan Oller

17^th - David Stehlik               19^th - Peggy Ross           29^th - Mel Oller

WHILE SHEPHERDS WATCHED THEIR FLOCKS

“And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks by night” (Luke 2:8).

There are many religious songs about the birth of Jesus, most of which we are unfamiliar with for various reasons.  The ones we do sing are the classics.  There are a few that we would know because we have heard to tune before.  Such is this song.  The words were by a fellow named Nahum Tate and the music by George Frideric Handel and comes from Handel’s Messiah.

         While shepherds watched their flocks by night,       “Fear not!” said he, for mighty dread

         All seated on the ground,                                        Had seized their troubled mind,

        The angel of the Lord came down                           “Glad tidings of great joy I bring,

        And glory shone around                                          To you and all mankind”

        “To you, in David’s town, this day                         “The Heav’nly Babe you there shall find

        Is born of David’s line                                           To human view displayed

       The Savior who is Christ the Lord,                         All meanly wrapped in swathing band

       And this shall be the sign                                      And in a manger laid

                                               “All glory be to God on high,

                                               And to the earth be peace,

                                              Good will henceforth from heav’n to men,

                                              Begin and never cease.

 As we can see, the words, though expanded from the text, express the meaning of what Luke writes concerning the shepherds.  Up to this point in the story the angel of the Lord has appeared to Zechariah and Mary in person and to Joseph in a dream.  At the birth of Jesus, God chooses to appear to shepherds.  The logic question to ask is “why shepherds?” 

Who should the Messiah appear to?  The expectations were high at this time in history.  Each group would claim that the Messiah would appear to them.  For instance, the Pharisees would want the Messiah to appear as a Pharisee, to a leading Pharisee, impressive and famous.  Seeking the King of the Jews, one would fine a palace, not a manger.  Since the Messiah was prophesied from old, and in the line of King David, then it would appear that that would be a logic conclusion. 

But it was not God’s way.  He chose tired, smelly, and maybe not so righteous shepherds to first appear.  And that is the way of God.  The entire event of the birth of Jesus is that of humility (see Philippians 2:6-8 also).  Like many, shepherds were convenient but they were not part of the “in” groups in Jerusalem.  They were the ordinary “fly over” folks of the day.  One could wonder about their faith.  What did they talk about around the camp fires?  The Messiah?  The Romans?  The latest claim to the Messiah?  Scripture?  Whatever it was, the appearance of the angel would have been a startling event, which is typical of the appearance of angels.  The angel announces the reason for his appearance and then a great host of heavenly beings join in praise.  What a sight!  Wouldn’t you like to have witness this?  I wonder if anyone in the distance saw the light or heard the music?  How far out of the sleepy village of Bethlehem did it occur?  So many questions. 

What is important, and what the song expresses, is the announcement that a Savior has been born in Bethlehem.  What would these words bring to the shepherds?  Obviously, the Messiah has come.  He has come to deliver us from the Romans.  Israel will be the land of God again, free from foreign influence.  Of course, we know the rest of the story.  Jesus came to free us, not from foreign occupation, but from our sins.  While Joseph was told this in a dream and Zechariah sang it in a song, it would be another thirty years before the proclamation would be made.  The shepherds were the first to hear it. 

We also could ask, why did the angels announced it?  For whatever reason, God certainly was excited about it in sending them.  The shepherds were told of a sign, the baby would be found wrapped in cloth in a manger, which was a feeding trough.  They left their flocks, something a shepherd would never do, and went to see the baby.  Now this was at night and most, if not all people, were asleep.  Seeking shepherds, excited at the recent event, were probably not very quiet.  When they found the baby, they praised God as they went away.  What an exciting evening!

I like this song from the Messiah, both for the tune and for the words.  They stay with the text.  It is another example of the importance of music.  The words tell part of the story that leads to the primary event, the crucifixion of Jesus and His resurrection.  It started in a manger in a little town in the Judean hills, but the message has affected humankind for two thousand years.  This year will be no different.  After the recent election and the emphasis on moral values, we will might hear more about Jesus than usual.  That will give us a chance, like the angels, to proclaim the Messiah and to glorify God.

                                                                                                    George B. Mearns