Christmas 2014 Meditation Two

The Manger
Luke 2:1-7

Today we travel, just like Mary and Joseph, to Bethlehem. Mary and Joseph make this journey because they must; they must go to the City of David to be registered. However they are no ordinary travelers, Mary is nine months pregnant. The 80 mile trip on foot must have been incredibly difficult for the young mother-to-be. At the end of the exhausting trip, they can't find a place to sleep. Talk about a bad day! I can't imagine the exhaustion, fear and anger for having to make such a trip so close to giving birth. But someone takes pity on them and allows them stay where the animals sleep. While in Bethlehem, Mary gives birth to her first born son. She wrapped him in cloths and laid him in a manger.

The strength of Mary continues to amaze me. She walks 80 miles while nine months pregnant then gives birth to her first child in the back of a cave, where the animals sleep because there is no room for them anywhere else in the entire town! I remember the uncertain of giving birth to my first child, when I had the security of a hospital, doctor, nurses and all the medical knowledge and equipment we have today. Imagine traveling far from home, away from family and not even having a bed to sleep in as you prepare to give birth to your first child. Not that she had a choice, but I would have wanted to just sit down and cry! I don't know, maybe she did; I do know that it wasn't a clean, peaceful or romantic moment. It was like any birth; messy, painful and scary, just like any birth. 

What made this birth special was what happened next, at least according to Luke. "Then an angel of the Lord appeared to some shepherds that were tending their sheep at night near Bethlehem."

Shepherd's Field
Luke 2:8-20

Again an angel appears and scares those who see the angel. The angel tells them, "Do not be afraid! Look! I bring good news to you - wonderful, joyous news for all people. Your savior is born today in David's city. He is Christ the Lord. This is a sign for you: you will find a newborn baby wrapped snugly and lying in a manger."

Those poor shepherds! They were just minding their own business, doing the lowly work of caring for sheep when out of nowhere this amazing light and strange being appears. I wonder how many times the angel had to say "Do not be afraid!" before they started listening. Did any of them start to run away? Or did anyone faint? What was the reaction of the sheep? They must have been startled by the light and the noise. It is not everyday that a multitude of angels start saying "Glory to God in heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors" in the middle of a field at night!

Here again God sends His messenger to the poor and lowly with great news and God's favor. Is God trying to tell us something? Why didn't the angel appear to a priest in the temple? Or perhaps a Sadducee or Pharisee? The message of the baby savior is not for the powerful, but for the meek and lowly. The message is for the "average Joe", that means you and me. Not only you and me, but the homeless, downtrodden, stepped-upon, sick, and afflicted!

What happened next? The shepherds went quickly to Bethlehem to see what had happened. They went to confirm what the Lord had revealed to them. But they didn't keep this great news to themselves. They told everyone who would listen what they had heard about the child. The shepherds returned home glorifying and praising God.

Now the question is, who will share this good news of great tidings with the lowly among us? I think we are charged with sharing the message, the light, that the angels shared with the shepherds, who then shared with anyone who would listen. I'm not one to shout from the rooftops, so I'm going to try to let God's light shine through me. If the light is bright enough, those around me will see the glory of God and "go to confirm what the Lord has revealed to them." How will you share the good news?

The Chapel at Shepherd's Field