Today we light the third candle in our Advent wreath. It is called the Joy candle. Our gospel lesson from Luke 2:8-12 explains why this is an appropriate time of year to light the Joy candle. Luke 2 is the classic Christmas narrative. I grew up listening to Linus read it every Christmas. Having now heard Tessa Olsen read it, hers is the voice of innocence that rings in my ears when I read... “8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.”
Last week Luke told us about a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger. This week he takes us to fields that were nearby to where the baby was lying, that is nearby Bethlehem which also happens to be nearby Jerusalem (approximately 6 miles away). The proximity of these fields to Jerusalem is worth mentioning because Jerusalem was where the Holy Temple was located. The temple was where thousands of sheep were sacrificed to remind God’s people that innocent blood must be shed for the forgiveness of sins. Think about what that means for the sheep that were in the nearby fields. There is an old passage in the Mishnah (the first written collection of Jewish oral traditions) that indicates sheep that were kept in these nearby fields were destined for use in the Holy Temple; The prophet Isaiah might say they were lambs being led to the slaughter. The symbolism of Jesus being born in a town where such sheep were raised is too profound to ignore.
Luke tells us these sheep were being watched over by shepherds. Tending flocks was the backbone of the Palestinian economy. Patriarchs like Moses and David were shepherds. Kings were likened to shepherds in so far as they cared for their subjects. However, no one wanted to be a shepherd. Jewish literature ranked “shepherd” as among the most despised occupations of the time. Shepherds were the garbage men and grave diggers of their day. You see, the dryness of the ground made it necessary for the sheep, and therefore shepherd, to move about and stay for months at a time in isolated areas far from home and more importantly far from church. The lifestyle of the shepherd made it impossible for them to meet the requirements of the ceremonial law. As a result, most shepherds were under the Rabbis’ ban; a form of shunning that excluded a person from the Jewish community.
Living under the Rabbis’ ban explains why they were living out in those nearby fields. All things considered, not a bad place to live. The fields were full of terraced vineyards and gardens. Even in the winter the green and silver foliage of the olive mingled with the pale pink of the almond and the darker color of the opening peach buds. This time of year, temperatures were in the mid to upper 50s. The dry gentle wind that often blew out of the south east made it cool but comfortable, even in the evening when clear skies filled with celestial beings.
Up above, the little town of Bethlehem was bustling with activity. People from outlying districts had come to register their names for Caesar’s census. I imagine the shepherds were happy to be away from the commotion of the crowds; happy to be out in the fields where it was quiet and calm.
This is the scene saint Luke invites you to see when he writes, “8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.” Beautiful scene, is it not? Serene and tranquil, that is until we read verse 9. There Luke tells us, “9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.” Heaven and earth seemed to mingle as suddenly an angel of the Lord stood before their baffled and bewildered eyes. I am of the personal opinion that this angel was Gabriel; the same angel who had so recently baffled and befuddled the likes of Zechariah, Mary, and Joseph. Luke does not tell us the angel’s name. Instead he focuses on the light that accompanied the angel and understandably so. For the first time in centuries the כְּבֹ֣וד יְהוָ֔ה the glory of the LORD returned to the earth. The prophet Ezekiel was the last to see the glory of the LORD and that was over 500 years earlier.
When the Israelites standing around Sinai saw the glory of the LORD, they said it looked like a consuming fire and they didn’t want to get near it. These shepherds are bathed in it; it wrapped around them, engulfed them. Quite naturally the shepherds were, as the King James says, “sore afraid”. They experienced the same fear that caused Adam and Eve to hide from the LORD as He was walking in the garden in the cool of the day[1], the same fear that caused the Israelites to cower behind Moses[2], the same fear that caused the prophet Isaiah to cry out “Woe to me!” “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty.”[3] They experienced the same nameless fear that all sinners experience when they find themselves in the presence of the LORD’s glory. It is a fear that all their secrets will be exposed, fear that all their indiscretions will be brought to light, fear that all their offenses will be revealed. Fear that because of these things they will be cut off, cast away, and condemned. Fear that they will be numbered among those who spend eternity weeping and gnashing their teeth. Fear that they will get exactly what they deserve.
The awareness of one’s own sinfulness fills them with fear before the glory of the LORD. This is the fear the shepherds felt as they stood before the angel. Thankfully, for them, and for us, the angel’s message was not one of judgement, rather, it was a message of joy. Luke tells us, “10 the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.” Do not be afraid shepherds. Do not be afraid sinners. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.”
The angel referred to Bethlehem as the town of David. It was a subtle reminder that the LORD keeps His promises. It had been 1000 years since the LORD promised that one of David’s offspring would rule over an everlasting kingdom. It had been 700 years since the LORD promised the Root of Jesse would stand as banner for the people. It had been 400 years since the LORD had said anything at all. But throughout all those years the LORD never forgot His promise. The angel told the shepherds to rejoice because today in the town of David the LORD has fulfilled His promise.
A promise made not just to kings and prophets, but a promise made to the shepherds and to you and to me. The angel told the shepherds, a Savior had been born to them. The people under Rome’s rule came to call the emperor, “Savior”. They were invited to see him as the one would solve their problems, provide them their needs, and protect them from their enemies. The angel takes the title away from the emperor and gives it instead it to the baby born in Bethlehem. It is a title that suits that baby far better than it does some earthly ruler. Rome’s savior could at best improve the lot of men only a little and for a short time. The Babe of Bethlehem could and would solve man kind’s greatest problem; sin. The Babe of Bethlehem could and would provide mankind its greatest need; forgiveness. The Babe of Bethlehem could and would deliver mankind from its greatest enemy; death. The angel told the shepherds to rejoice because the Babe of Bethlehem had been born to save them.
He is a Savior who had been set apart by the LORD for a specific task. The angel called Him “Christ”. This is the first time the title “Christ” is used in reference to the LORD’s anointed. It is the equivalent of the Old Testament title “Messiah”; a title that is packed with eager anticipation, excitement, and hope. If there is any distinction between the two title it is only this, one contains excitement of a promise that is made and the other excitement of a promise that is fulfilled. The excitement concerning the Messiah now Christ was a result of His being anointed and appointed by the LORD to be the world’s Redeemer. The Messiah, the Christ was the one set apart by the LORD “to give His life as a ransom for many”[4]. The angel told the shepherds to rejoice because the LORD’s Messiah; the LORD’s Christ had come to redeem them.
The angle told the shepherds the Lord’s Christ had the power and ability to accomplish the task set before Him. The angel told the shepherds He was the LORD. No doubt the shepherds, whose social status was about as low as you could get, had many lords; that is men who exercised authority over them. But each of those lords were limited in their ability and each of them, no matter the status, had to answer to someone. That was not the case for the LORD the angel spoke of. He is the great I AM, the first and the last, the Alpha and the Omega. The angel told the shepherds to rejoice because the LORD of lords had come with the power and ability to deliver them.
Finally, the angel directed the shepherds to the source of their joy. The angel said. “12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” It would be some time before the shepherds stopped being afraid. There would be at least one more event that would shake them to their core, but we will talk about that next week. But when they saw the baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger, they were convinced the angel had not come to pronounce judgment on them. Rather, the angle had come to announce joy to them.
This Christmas the angel’s message to you is the same. That my friends is why the joy candle burns among us today. Amen.
[1] Genesis 3:8
[2] Deuteronomy 5:5
[3] Isaiah 6:5
[4] Mark 10:45