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In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. All went to their own towns to be registered. Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. (Luke 2: 1-9) Reflection We don’t know a whole lot about the shepherds. We don’t know how many shepherds went to Bethlehem, or how far they had to go on foot to see the newborn baby. But if we use our imaginations and ponder their little corner of the world for even a moment, it really teaches us a lot about God’s love. God had a lot of choices about how to handle the delivery of this news. Who gets to hear the news first? How will the news be delivered? And when? An expert publicist would have proposed a scenario that looked a lot different: “Get the news to the leaders first, at the beginning of the day. Make sure there is official documentation that is notarized, sealed, and make sure there are multiple copies. Make sure it has that fancy embossed stamp on it, too. This is a big deal.” But God, as always, didn’t do things the way we do things. God sent the message to a group of rough-around-the-edges shepherds. The news was delivered in the middle of the night, in the middle of nowhere. And somehow, through the ages, through time and history and imperfect people, we still know the story today. The middle of nowhere. And somehow, through the ages, through time and history and imperfect people, we still know the story today. The shepherds heard the song of the angels and went to Bethlehem. Did the flocks come with them? Probably. Nativity scenes usually show one or two lambs, but if we think about it, those shepherds wouldn’t have just left their sheep to fend for themselves. Just outside that stable in crowded Bethlehem, a few dozen sheep were curious about the change of scenery. And a few people in the heart of town probably lost a little sleep that night because of the noisy flocks of sheep in the road and a crying baby across the street. Imagine the look in the eyes of the shepherds years later as they told their children about that night, and then their children’s children. We owe a lot to those shepherds; for listening to the angels, for making the journey, and for telling their story. + --Sarah Hershberger Our devotions are based on this Sunday’s Revised Common Lectionary (RCL). The RCL is a three-year cycle of readings telling the story of our Christian faith and corresponding to the season church calendar. On any given Sunday, we are hearing and praying and examining the same Scripture with millions of Christians around the world. In our current Year C, the Old Testament readings progress through the Prophets and have the theme of the day that it is connected to the Gospel reading. The Psalm, a song the congregation sings in response to the Old Testament reading, most often corresponds to the theme of the Hebrew Lessons and/or that of the Gospel Lesson. The lesson from the Epistles or from Acts typifies the church’s focus on the meaning of Christ for today. The Gospel lesson is connected to the season of the Church Year. This year, our gospel readings are from Luke, who writes that Jesus is the universal Savior and the perfect Son of Man. In the current season of Christmas focuses on God within our lives. Our devotions this year were developed to look at the parts of the nativity scene.
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