MIDWEEK
ADVENT 1
December
2, 2015
Pastor
Timothy J. Spaude
Text:
Luke 2: 8, 15-18
THE CLOTHES OF CHRISTMAS:
THE WORKING CLOTHES OF THE SHEPHERDS
Luke 2:8, 15-18
(NIV 1984) “And there were
shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at
night. 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.“
OK, so how many of you have ever received
clothes as gifts for Christmas? Next, how many of you like getting clothes for
Christmas? I remember a time I didn’t like getting clothes for Christmas. When
I was a young boy my eyes were set on all the toys we saw and circled in the JC
Penney and Sears catalogues. I wanted fun things, not useful things. I really didn’t like it
when my grandma for Minnesota gave me a Vikings hat for Christmas. What do you
do with that? Things change though and you do appreciate clothes for Christmas.
This year for our midweek Advent services we are taking a look at the clothes
of Christmas. Not those received as gifts but those worn by figures in the
Christmas story. We begin by looking at the working clothes of the shepherds.
“And
there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their
flocks at night.”
In his Gospel Luke tells us about some shepherds. What were they doing? Keeping
watch over their sheep of course. That’s what shepherds do. They were working.
Why? Because it pleases God! In His wisdom when God created this world He
created some animals that could not care for themselves, defend themselves or
stay safe by themselves. One example of this is sheep. They are not good at
caring for themselves. As an aside, if the lie of evolution were true, there
would be no sheep. They are not an animal that survive with others caring for
them. Since they need care the shepherds put on their working clothes and took
care of the sheep.
You have working clothes too. Many of
you are wearing them right now. All of you students who came here from school
have your working clothes on for the work that you do now is learning in
school. Teachers taught you. They are wearing their working clothes. There are
others. And while some might think that we do work each day just to make a
living or get by or because it has to be done, work takes on a whole new
meaning when you do it for God. He desires that people stay safe and so today
we have God to thank for the work of police and fire departments. God desires
the sick be cared for and so we have all the jobs in health care. Banking and
commerce need to happen and so there are all the jobs in those sectors.
Children don’t stay safe by themselves and so there are mommies and daddies and
child care workers. Even the retired have jobs. All kinds of them. They just
don’t get paid. The next time you find yourself working with whatever kinds of
work clothes you wear remember that you get to do it for God. He told us
through Paul in Ephesians that we ought to work, doing something useful so that
we can share with those in need. And to the Thessalonians, if you aren’t
willing to work you shouldn’t get to eat and in Colossians to view your boss as
the Lord. There is a time for working clothes.
But the shepherds left their sheep. “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.” The shepherds took a break from their work. Why? What was so
important? Jesus is. Angels had appeared to the shepherds and told them the
Savior they were waiting for had been born. Off they went. Seeing Jesus was
that important. How much the shepherds knew of Bible prophecy we don’t know but
they were human beings. They had the natural knowledge of God. They had
consciences that bothered them, guilt when they sinned. The Savior would take
care of that. So off they went in their work clothes.
We do that too, don’t we? We take a
break from work to see Jesus. It’s what we’re doing right now. Jesus is
important to us. We all have different levels of understanding and knowledge of
everything the Bible says. But we all have the same need. We are sinners in
need of the Good News that we have a Savior. That Good News is available to us
in the Bible but highlighted like it is in no other way when the church gathers
to worship. That’s worth making the effort to go even if it means coming in
your work clothes. When I grew up in Watertown I worked for some dairy farmers
who were members of my church. If you know anything about dairy farming, it is
demanding, hard work. The cows don’t take the weekend off. They don’t take
vacations. They need to be milked every day. The dairy farmer has to do that.
Calves don’t wait to be born. They come on their own time. But this Christian
couple stopped and dropped what they were doing when it was church time. Jesus
was worth it. Is He worth it to you? In these super busy times we live in we
don’t want to get to the point that coming to worship is like stopping at
Burger King where you only stop if you can have it your way and it’s convenient
for you.
But you can’t spend all your time at
church either. Neither could the shepherds. Back to work. That’s what happened
with the shepherds. “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.“ As
neat as it must have been to see and hear the angels and to see their newborn
Savior, the shepherds didn’t and couldn’t stay in Bethlehem. They left to go
back to work and back to their sheep. But things weren’t the same for them.
They had a message to tell. They spread the word concerning what had been told
them about this child. They took Jesus with them as they talked about Jesus.
Back to work. That’s what happens with
us too. Whether we are mommies and daddies, students or teachers, police, fire,
nurses, workers, truck drivers, accountants or retirees God has useful things
for us to do that help and benefit others and He wants them done well. But as
you are doing them, as you are wearing your work clothes don’t forget that you
have an even greater value to the people in your life than what you do to help
them for earthly life. You carry Jesus with you and the message of the work He
did, giving His life to save all sinners. Not every sinner you work with will
appreciate knowing they have a Savior in Jesus but some will. As you wear your
work clothes and do your work well pray for opportunities and look for appropriate
chances to spread the word concerning the child. There may be workplace rules
you have to follow but let your light shine and see what happens.
At this point in life clothes may or may
not appear on your Christmas wish list. That’s up to you. Saving you was up to
God and He did that in Jesus, a Christmas gift you already have. The working
clothes of the shepherds remind us to take Jesus to work so that we can find
joy in a job well done for the Lord and a chance to spread the word of the
Savior who has been born. Amen.
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