“The Shepherd’s Hope” was preached at First Presbyterian Church of Allentown, PA on Christmas Eve, December 24, 2021. Several leaders of the church told stories of hope through the perspective of those at the birth of Christ: Mary, Joseph, and the shepherds. You can hear/watch this sermon here, starting at 45:38.
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Luke 2:8-14
8 In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: 11 to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying,
14 “Glory to God
in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace among those whom he
favors!”
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You want to hear my story of hope?
A few years ago, I would have felt my story wasn’t worth sharing.
I am a shepherd.
And before you look down on me or feel bad for me or want to pray for me…
Don’t.
I’ve been a shepherd my whole life. I was born to be a shepherd; I didn’t choose it. This is the way your God – my God – made me to be.
Yes, when I was younger, this is not always how I wanted my life to be. I thought it was unfair. I had dreams of something else. Maybe being a king or having lots of wealth. I dreamed of being powerful. I dreamed of people looking at me and me leading them. Oh, I dreamed a lot. I prayed a lot.
But somewhere along the way, my dreams shifted. I started dreaming of my life as a shepherd, a wanderer and a nomad, alongside my crazy and wild, loving family. These dreams became my reality. And my reality became my joy.
So you don’t you feel sorry for me. I like being a shepherd.
Maybe I’m not wealthy or powerful or even respected… but this is the life for me… and I’m happy.
Or I thought I was. No, I am. I am happy. I worked really hard to be happy with my life as a shepherd. But something was missing. I didn’t know it at the time. I was happy but I could be happier. Sorry, I’m messing this up. I’m a shepherd; not a preacher. I was happy but I wasn’t complete. You know what I mean?
I didn’t know there was more for my life until one night.
On a regular eve, as I was out with my people doing our thing, watching our flocks by night, the brightest light appeared in the sky. I heard a scream. I honestly didn’t know if it was me or a buddy of mine. And then a loud voice towered over us.
“Do not be afraid!” – Yeah, right! I’m shaking at this point.
“I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger’”
A sign? A child? A manger?
Then, the light shined even brighter and I heard a multitude of voices and song and laughter and and and… I heard hope.
I heard hope.
And I look over, and I see my friends and they see me, and we don’t even have to say anything. We smile and we just start walking. We have to find this child.
Because that’s the something more that was missing.
And your God – my God – sorry, our God – wanted someone like me – a shepherd – to welcome this child into our world. And by sharing my story of hope with you, I know God wants you to be there too.
You ready? Let’s go!
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