Before Relinquishing the Christmas Season to the new year…Part 4 of 4
The 12th and final day of Christmas…Three Kings Day…Epiphany…
I looked up the word “epiphany”, as it relates to the Christian tradition. According to ReligionFacts.com, the Epiphany is the “’shining forth’ or revelation of God to mankind in human form, in the person of Jesus Christ.”
This final day of the Christmas season, called the Day of Epiphany or Three Kings Day is typically associated with the magi who recognized Jesus as God in human form and came worshiping Him and bringing Him gifts fit for a King.
However, since we talked about the wise men (magi) in this week’s Wednesday Wisdom Chat, today I want to consider the shepherds. It is with the shepherds that we find the fourth appearance of one angel followed by the appearance of a multitude of angels as these shepherds were out in the Bethlehem fields watching over their sheep on the night of Jesus’ birth.
As you remember, Zacharias was the first to receive a visit from an angel. The angel appeared to him in the temple as he was going about his duties. The angel told Zacharias that his prayer had been heard and God was going to answer by giving him and Elisabeth a son. But Zacharias didn’t believe him and asked for a “sign”. As a result of his lack of faith, Zacharias was mute until after his son, John (the Baptist), was born. Action was necessary on the part of Zacharias in order for his prayer to be answered and obviously Zacharias realized it. He went home and Elisabeth conceived and John was born. It is interesting to note that Zacharias still could not speak after the baby was born. It was not until he wrote the name of the child given by the angel, “John”, that his tongue was loosed and he could now vocalize his joy to those around him.
Mary was the next one to receive a visit from an angel. Her response was one of faith, “Behold, the bond-slave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word.” There was no action was required by Mary. The angel announced to Mary what would happen to her. Joseph had several vvisits by an angel in his dreams, but each required immediate action. And each time, Joseph responded in faith, getting up and promptly and carefully doing exactly what the angel told him to do.
Finally, we consider the shepherds. They weren’t doing anything out of the ordinary. It was just another night in the life of a shepherd, until the angel appeared and their lives were forever changed. The angel didn’t require anything of the shepherds; there was no command to “Get up and go!” as Joseph had been told. On the other hand, there was an assumption in the angel’s announcement that the shepherds would do something with the message he gave them. The angel said to them, “you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” (Luke 2:12) He didn’t say “go find the baby”. They didn’t have a star to lead them to the baby. The angel just named the town and described what the baby would be wearing and what his crib looked like.
When the angel first appeared, the shepherds were startled and afraid, just as Mary, Joseph, and Zacharias had been. The first words of the angel, as with the others, was, “Do not be afraid…” followed by the angelic announcement of the good news, “For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.” (Luke 2:11) The angel knew that once the shepherds heard this news, they would surely go and find the baby. He was the child that had been promised so long ago. He was the long-awaited Messiah. The shepherds had missed out on a lot of things in their lives, due to being out in the fields taking care of sheep, but there was no way they were missing this!
Following the angel’s proclamation, the sky filled with the most amazing and brilliant beings they had ever seen and the most magnificent powerful voices they had ever heard. The disappointments of all the years of missing the services at the temple and the music of the choirs disappeared as the brightness of the angels and the glorious sounds filled the sky as they proclaimed, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace, good will toward men!” When the angels disappeared from sight, the sheep were forgotten. Leaving everything behind, the shepherds, believing the words of the angel and acting in faith, made their way into Bethlehem and found “Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger.” From there, they went on their way, telling everyone who they had seen with their own eyes – “the revelation of God to mankind in human form.”
The angel didn’t need to command the shepherds to tell people about Jesus. Once they found Him, it was the natural thing to do, and they just did it, unashamedly. When we really find Jesus, telling others about Him will be the natural thing to do. We should not be afraid, for Jesus is with us. Our joy and our excitement, like the shepherds of old, should just spill over. But just in case the excitement of these good tidings of great joy have slipped from our hearts, Jesus commands us to “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.” (Mark 16:15) He promises as we listen and obey His words, His joy will be in us and our joy will be full. (John 15:11).
Do not be afraid, only believe!