Luke 2:8-11 ⁸ And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. ⁹ An angel of the Lord appeared to 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. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. ¹¹ Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.

          On the day that we celebrate Christmas the gospel was brought to us. The angel proclaimed it as bringing the shepherds the good news.  Laying in a manger was the gospel itself, and not just for the Jew but for all the people, all the nations.  It does seem appropriate that the angel confronts shepherds minding their flock of sheep with this good news that the gospel has arrived.

          We have heard that sheep unattended will wander off on their own.  Sheep really don't pay attention to where they are going as they look for their next morsel to enjoy.  The sheep unattended will unknowingly wander into danger, and find themselves as a morsel for their enemy to enjoy.  Shepherds keep their sheep.  Keeping is a means of protecting them, feeding, and making sure they stay together as a community.  Together the sheep are easier to lead; apart sheep are harder to manage because one will wander this way and another will wander that way.

Luke 2:12-14 ¹² This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." ¹³ Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, ¹⁴ "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."

          To you this day the Gospel is born, a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes, and laying in a feed trough for animals.  This feed trough was not a hospital crib it was not sterilized, it was the most humbling bed a savior could have chosen.  The Christ, our savior, our shepherd, now biding His time as a child of a virgin and a father who had to learn to forgive his bride, and provide for a child that is not of his blood all through faith in our one God.

          A shepherd was born who had not taken up his shepherds staff to lead His flock, those whom God our Father in heavens favor rests.  God's favor is His grace and mercy for a fallen nation or is it fallen nations?  The first chosen will again prove to turn their back on their God.  So has the world turned its back on their God from the time of Adam and Eve and from the time of Noah and his sons?  What we fail sometimes to ponder is that there has only been one true God and He is even if we do not want to confess everyone's God.  Yes God's first chosen had turned away at times, however we should note they did not turn permanently away as did the gentiles from the time after Noah's landing on dry ground. 

          The sheep had wandered, the enemy fed upon them and they were devoured by false gods, and immoral ways.  Where is their shepherd, when will He claim all of His sheep?  He lays there in the manger, humbled being born of a virgin, and waiting for just the right time to take up His shepherd’s staff.

          Luke 2:12-14 ¹⁵ 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." ¹⁶ So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. ¹⁷ When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, ¹⁸ and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.

          THE SHEPHERD has come, the good news is here, the Gospel has been born, and God is with us!  The shepherd’s staff carved from a tree and used to reign in the sheep in the shepherds flock.  Jesus Christ reigns all believers in with another staff made from a tree, like the snake in the Old Testament, Numbers 21:9, Jesus Christ was lifted up on the staff called a cross.  Jesus uses the staff He died on to gather His sheep who are made up of all believers coming from all nations, and all peoples.

          This is the Good News, the Gospel that was born for our salvation and celebration of a beginning of everlasting relationship with our God and eternal life gifted to all believers from this one child wrapped in swaddling clothes and called to be our shepherd so that we might not go astray.  Amen.