Advent - The Faith of the Shepherds

 

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.  An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.  But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.  Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

Shepherding in the fields by night, what could be better? I’m sure there is a large list of more exciting jobs. It gives counting sheep to fall asleep a new meaning. It was lonely, smelly, and dirty work. You won’t become the Temple Gazette’s “Person of the Year” doing that. But shepherds were the Steady Eddies of Jewish society. They worked hard, day after day. They were dependable and solid folk. So imagine keeping sheep outside of Bethlehem, minding your own business, and Poof! there appears an angel. And not just any angel, but one of the full on “glory shone around him” kind. I would be terrified too. They probably would never be called the smartest man in the room, yet they must have at least been educated about the Messiah. So the angel gives them the message of good news. At this point they were probably doubting their sanity. And then comes the big finish.

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

 If they thought they were doubting before, I’m sure the angel choir help them to realize this wasn’t just a hallucination. When all was finished they were all in.

 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.

They thought it was so important that they left the sheep (hey they were sleeping anyway) and searched for the Messiah. I doubt there was a sign outside. It may have taken them hours to find Him. Still they continued until they came to the manger. Once they had seen the Messiah with their own eyes, did they say, “Oh ya, we better go check on the sheep”.  No, they found it so important that they went throughout the city of Bethlehem telling everyone they met about who they found. I’m sure they went back to their sheep eventually, but the coming of the Messiah, the Savior, filled their thoughts. Did others come and see? We’re not really told. But the lowly shepherds know what was important. Are you excited about the Savior? Do you share His “Good News” with others? I hope so. Don’t let they shepherds be the only ones.

 

 

Advent - The Faith of Mary & Joseph

 

The angel comes to Mary. He tells her all that was about to happen, and she says, “No problem”. Joseph has a vision and bam, he’s on board also. It seems almost too easy, surreal. We read it and believe it because it’s in the scriptures. But have we really thought about it? Mary and Joseph had to use real faith to just jump right in and say “Ya, Let’s go!”.

One of the keys to understanding this whole thing is knowing the Prophecies. Mary and Joseph weren’t just simpletons who believed anything they were told. The birth of Christ happened in the right place, at the proper time to the correct people.

“But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship.” Galatians 4:4-5

Mary and Joseph have spent their lives preparing. There is some debate, but most scholars think Mary would have been in her late teen years when the angel visited, close to 17-18. Every Jewish girl would know of Isaiah’s prophecy - "the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel" Isaiah 7:14. Joseph may have been a little older, but there is nothing definite given in the Scriptures.

Mary’s reaction is interesting. She is troubled at his greeting and pushes back even more when he says “you will conceive and bear a son”. Scholars say that instead of reading it “How will this be since I am a virgin?”, it was more like “Oh no, I’m not that kind of girl”. Maybe the angle looked like a man at first. We don’t know what he had to do to convince her, but in the end she agreed saying, “May your word to me be fulfilled.” She immediately ran to see her relative, Elizabeth, who was going to have a baby in her old age. It was possibly the realization of this miracle helped the cement the veracity of the angel’s words once and for all.

Joseph, I’m sure, was confused, worried, and dismayed. He trusted Mary. He knew the prophecies. He decided to not bring Mary up for accusation but instead shelter her. It seems the angle only needed to speak to him in a dream to convince him of what he already knew.

Having a child out of wedlock was not a small thing. They were both taking a risk by doing what God wanted. Both are examples of great faith. Most times faith means stepping out where you cannot see.  I’m glad they did. I would hate to see how things would have turned out had they not obeyed.

Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!” Luke 1:45

 

and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son.

She wrapped him in cloths 

and placed him in a manger,

because there was no guest room 

available for them.

Luke 2:7

Advent: Faith in the Prophesies

 

Many years, the days before Christmas are so busy at school - parties, finals, projects, that I don’t really get to celebrate until we hit Christmas break. Admittedly, this is still my fault, so this year I decided to follow an Advent calendar and spend the Whole month of December remembering our Savior’s birth. It will be a series in the month of December.

The actual date of the birth of Christ will probably never be settled. Some say spring, some fall, others defend the current December 25 day. I have heard compelling arguments about each. Many Jewish rabbis and historians hold to the fall birth at the beginning of Rosh Hashanah. I find their argument very substantial. Adding to the discrepancies that our current Gregorian calendar has been tweaked and adjusted several times, we may never really know. I think what is most important that we remember it.

It does take some background information to appreciate. Without a knowledge of the prophecies about Christ the Messiah, nothing seems miraculous, and the actions of those involved may seem odd and/or out of place. There are many prophecies concerning the Messiah; I have only listed the few that will pertain to this series. And yes, AI was actually helpful this time.

Born of a Virgin: The prophet Isaiah declared that "the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel" (Isaiah 7:14). This was fulfilled when Mary, a virgin, conceived Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 1:18, 23; Luke 1:31).

Born in Bethlehem: Micah 5:2 states, "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be Ruler in Israel". Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, fulfilling this specific geographic prediction (Matthew 2:1; Luke 2:4-7).

Descendant of David: God promised King David that a descendant from his line would establish an everlasting kingdom (2 Samuel 7:12-13). The New Testament genealogies in Matthew and Luke trace Jesus' lineage directly to David, confirming His royal heritage (Matthew 1:1; Luke 1:32).

Called "Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace": Isaiah 9:6 provided these descriptive names for the child who would be born, highlighting His divine nature and the nature of His reign. This was echoed by the angels' announcement of peace on earth at His birth (Luke 2:14).

Flight to Egypt: The prophet Hosea wrote, "Out of Egypt I called my son" (Hosea 11:1). After His birth, Joseph was warned in a dream to flee to Egypt with Mary and Jesus to escape King Herod's order to kill all young boys in Bethlehem, thus fulfilling this prophecy (Matthew 2:13-15).

A Messenger to Prepare the Way: Isaiah 40:3 prophesied, "A voice of one calling: 'In the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God'". John the Baptist fulfilled this role, preaching repentance and preparing people's hearts for the coming of Jesus (Matthew 3:1-3).

Spend some time pondering these this week. I hope to add to their meaning in the weeks to come.