Tough Men, Sore Afraid

Although the circumstances of our life may not change, our perspective and worship can.   ~~~   Luke 2:8-11 “And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. And the angel said to them, ‘Fear not, for behodl, I bring you good news of a great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a savior, who is Christ the Lord.” One of the main factors in Luke’s report about the angels showing up to the shepherds is fear. The shepherds were very, very scared. But fear is not new to the Christmas story. Do you remember when the angel Gabriel showed up in Zechariah’s life? Zechariah was scared and the angel said, “Fear not.” When Gabriel showed up to Mary, she was greatly troubled and Gabriel told her, “Do not be afraid.” So why are all these people afraid? You may think that is a silly question to ask. “Clif, an angel just showed up in front of them. Of course they were afraid.” This is true, but I think the answer lies deeper than that. Now let’s get our understanding of shepherds straight so that we can better understand how odd it was that they were fearful. I believe our perception of the shepherds is somewhat unbalanced. What do you picture when you think of a shepherd? Is it a young boy in a bathrobe with a belt around his waist and head? Is it some guy that sits out in lush green fields strumming his harp, contemplating scripture? Well, some of that may be true, but we have to remember that these guys also fought off wolves and bears and anything else that came out to attack the defenseless sheep. These guys were tough. Some resources even indicate that shepherds were a rowdy and wild group of guys. These guys were hard working, blue-collar men. So I don’t think a person just appearing would be enough reason to make them “sore afraid.” I am sure many of them had had wild animals sneak up on them. So someone appearing out of nowhere, although it may startle them, I don’t think it would have paralyzed them with a great fear. But notice what surrounded them. It was the very glory of God. It wasn’t the moonlight or the sunlight. What enveloped them was the very radiance and brilliance of God—the light of heaven. And that is why they had a great fear. They were in the presence of God Why does being in the presence of God’s glory make us fearful? The reason it makes them fearful is because Romans 3:23 is true Romans 3:23—“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” The manifest presence of God creates fear in us because at that moment we are aware of our utter depravity and God’s absolute holiness. And that night, the shepherds were frozen in fear because they came to edge of the gulf that separates them from God, and they realized it was far too deep and far too wide for them to ever cross. The angel didn’t say, “You guys have nothing to worry about. You’ve done more good than bad. You’ve had good intentions.” The angel didn’t say, “If you guys would shape up and just try a little harder…” The angel told them that the prophesied Messiah was born and that He is a Savior. The shepherds! A Savior was born for the shepherds! The forgotten, the outcasts, the despised, the sinners, the dirty, the lonely, the fearful—a Savior was born for them! The reason that the shepherds did not have to live in fear anymore was because a Savior had been born who would conquer and overcome their sin! What was their response? It was worship! Look at what happens in verse 20—“And the shepherds returned, glorifying God and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told to them.” But I want you to notice the context of which the shepherds’ worship is given. They receive the news; they go see the promised Savior, and as they are returning to the same dirty sheep, to the same low-paying job, to the same cultural labels, they are praising God. They truly understood that God had provided for their deepest need, being saved from their sin, and they worshiped, right back in their same context. Theirs wasn’t a health and wealth gospel that they believed in. It was a good news of great joy, that was for all people.