Preached by the the Reverend Canon Durrell Watkins at the Broward Center for the Performing Art’s Amaturo Theatre on Christmas Eve, December 24, 2006.
Isaiah 9:2, 6, 7
A reading from the Light of Christmas:
2The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned. 6For unto us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end.
Isaiah 11:1-3a, 4a, 6
1The royal line of David will be chopped down like a tree; but from the stump will grow a shoot, a new branch. 2The Spirit of the Eternal will dwell in him the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, of purpose and strength, of knowledge and reverence for the Almighty 3much to his great delight! 4aHe will defend the poor and the exploited, taking their side against those who abuse and misuse them.
6The wolf and the lamb will coexist, as will the leopard and the goat, the lion and the calf. And a little child will lead them all.
Luke 1:26-38
A reading from the Gospel according to Luke:
26The following month God sent Gabriel the archangel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27to Mary, a virgin pledged to be married to Joseph, a descendant of David. 28The heavenly messenger said to her, Greetings, blessed lady! The Holy One is with you! 29Mary was startled, wondering what in the world this was all about!
30Don’t be frightened, Mary, the angel told her. God is delighted with you! 31You’re going to have a child; you’ll name him Jesus. 32He will be famous, known as the Son of the Most High. The Almighty will give him a dominion like his ancestor David, 33with full authority over his people. His reign will never end!
34How is that possible? Mary asked the angel. I’m still a virgin?
35It’s like this, replied Gabriel. The Holy Spirit will come upon you the power of God will envelope you so this holy child will be called the Son of God. 36Your cousin Elizabeth is also going to have a child. They said she was unable to conceive, yet she’s already six months pregnant! 37So, you see, nothing is impossible with God.
38I’m the servant of the Almighty, said Mary. Let it happen just as you’ve told me. And the angel left her.
Luke 2:1, 3-7
A reading from the Gospel according to Luke:
1Caesar Augustus gave orders that a census should be taken throughout the Roman Empire. 3Everyone was required to go to their hometown to register. 4So Joseph left his home Nazareth, north in Galilee and traveled far south to his birthplace Bethlehem in Judea, the hometown of King David because he was a descendant of David. 5Mary traveled with him, still expecting the child. 6While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born. 7She gave birth to a son, her firstborn child. She wrapped him in a humble baby blanket and laid him on a bed of hay in the barn, because there was no room for them in the inn.
Matthew 2:1-11
A reading from the Gospel according to Matthew:
1After Jesus was born in Bethlehem, during the reign of King Herod, Magi arrived in Jerusalem. They 2went around asking, Where can we find the newborn King of the Jews? We observed a star in the eastern sky signifying his birth. Weve come to pay homage to him.
3When Herod heard about this, he was quite upset at the disturbance they were causing. 4So he summoned his religious advisors and asked them, Where’s the Messiah supposed to be born?
5In Bethlehem in Judea, they answered. The prophet Micah foretold it, saying: 6Little town of Bethlehem, You are not just an unimportant Judean village! From your midst will come a Leader who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.
7So Herod arranged a clandestine meeting with the astrologers, getting them to tell him everything about the star. 8When the meeting ended he pointed them to Bethlehem, saying, Go find this child. Look everywhere! Then rush word to me so I can come and reverence him.
9So they quickly left the king and went their way. And right there in the sky was the star they had followed. It had at last led them to the child, shining more brightly than ever. They were ecstatic with joy! 10The right place at the right time! 11They entered the house, and found the child in the arms of his mother, Mary. In reverence and awe they knelt down. Then they opened their treasure bags and presented him with gifts: gold, frankincense, myrrh.
Luke 2:8-14
A reading from the Gospels according to Luke and according to John:
8There were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10But the angel said to them, Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. 12This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.
13Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.
John 14:27
Hear the promise of Jesus, the fulfillment of the angels song: 27Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
There were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of God appeared to them, and the glory of God shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for ALL people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you who is Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a feeding trough.’
Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, and peace to all creation.’
That’s how an evangelist named Luke tells the story anyway. Now I am a recent transplant to Ft. Lauderdale from New York City, but I started life in the hills of Arkansas. I could tie my shoes years before I ever saw any need to wear them. And even now at the age of 40 after much travel, urban living and higher education, the truth remains that to the core of my soul I’m as country as a collard green and I no longer waste any energy denying that fact. I was a child of the rural mid-south and so stories of livestock and those who watch after them tend to get my attention.
Luke commits his version of this story to paper during a turbulent time in history. He was writing to people who felt disenfranchised and who desperately needed hope. And so he says, There were shepherds living out in the fields.
Shepherds were not highly regarded by society’s upper crust. They worked outside. Luke basically foreshadows a scene from Brokeback Mountain, showing us shepherds living outside. They worked hard and they worked with sheep. Sheep ain’t roses, let me tell you. People living and working outside, among livestock, they could be dirty and…well, no one has ever thought of marketing their fragrance. Glade doesn’t make a sheep scented candle, you know what I mean?
When these hard working, unkempt people would come to town, people would just not acknowledge them sometimes. You can imagine people clutching their purses and covering their noses and looking the other way. That’s who our story is about tonight. People not warmly embraced by society. They were maligned and vilified and harshly judged and viewed with suspicion, and while THESE people, living outside were watching their flocks an angel showed up to THEM.
The ones that larger society had forgotten or condemned were the very ones to whom God first announces Good News, according to Luke.
Of course, at first this disturbed our shepherd friends. Maybe they had spent too much time in isolation and had finally had some kind of breakdown. I mean, please, if you ever think you’re being visited by angels you might wonder if it isn’t time for a vacation, and maybe some medication. But in response to their fears, the angel says, “Don’t be afraid.” We hear that throughout the gospel: Don’t be afraid.
The angel isn’t there to make their lives worse; the angel has come to bring GOOD NEWS of GREAT JOY for ALL people. The good news isn’t just for some people. No one gets left out of this party. Whoever you are, you are God’s and nothing can separate you from God’s love. This is good news of great joy for all people, even people that other people haven’t treated with proper respect, my shepherd friends.
If we stopped right there, the story would be empowering enough. But there is more. The angel not only affirms the shepherds by coming to them and empowers them by telling them to not be afraid, the angel then continues with one more gift.
Nearby, a child has been born and this child has somehow been anointed by God already. Christ or messiah — these words both mean Anointed. A baby has just been born who is anointed by God. OK? That’s nice. But wait — here’s the sign, the twist, the way God seems to work: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a feeding trough.
This child, anointed by God is a lot like our shepherd friends. Born to an unwed mother, temporarily homeless, in a barn. You’ll find him, not dressed in beautiful baby clothes but wrapped up in cloths, rags, lying in a trough, on top of hay that cows bury their faces in and eat.
And once this good news is delivered, the angel is joined by other angels singing and praising God and announcing God’s favor for ALL people — God’s desire for peace in all the world.
The good news to these shepherds is that a baby is born. This baby is anointed with God’s grace and the power of God’s spirit. But this baby isn’t lying in a fancy crib in a palace. This baby isn’t even lying on a soft blanket in a cozy cottage. This baby is wrapped in cloths, lying in a barn, born to parents who are facing difficulties in life. God has anointed, called, favored, blessed the most unlikely of candidates. Isn’t that just God’s way?!
The Good News is that God doesn’t have one soul to waste. God’s love isn’t just for the few, the elect, the pretty, the privileged. God’s love is for ALL people. God’s Peace is for ALL people. God’s empowerment is for ALL people. You can even find God, and maybe especially so, among the least and the lowly. God’s anointed one, God’s angels, God’s message, God’s miracles are found with the shepherds, with the young pregnant girl who gives birth in a barn, with a baby who is wrapped in rags lying in a manger.
Race, religion, gender, class, sexual orientation…none of these things earn God’s love nor do any of these things push God’s love away. God’s love in unconditional, all inclusive, and to the people who have never heard that or who have been told the exact opposite this message of divine love is truly Good News.
If you have ever felt like a poor shepherd, living outside of power in the margins, terrified when messages about God appear in front of you, hear this story again tonight. It is OUR story, your story, all people’s story: Do Not Be Afraid. I Bring You Good News of Great Joy that will be for ALL People…
That’s the eternal Christmas message. And every time someone really hears and embraces it, angels rejoice and sing, “Glory to God in the highest, and peace to all creation.” Amen.
Hope is born in me tonight.
Joy is born in me tonight.
Peace is born in me tonight.
Christ is born in me tonight.
Glory to God in the highest.
And peace to all creation.
Amen.
