Christmas Eve - The Rev. Colette Hammesfahr

 Luke 2:1-20 – Christmas Eve 

A small church in Texas was preparing for its Christmas play. It was the dress rehearsal, the day before the big event. The younger children had their barnyard animal costumes on. The angels were adorning their wings and brightly shined halos. Mary and Joseph were ready for their roles, holding a well-swaddled doll. The kids playing the role of the shepherds were dressed and excited but also a bit mischievous. The director instructed the shepherds that when the time came, they were to “follow the sign” of the star. The star could not be missed – it was a giant sparkly cardboard star on a tall pole carried by one of the older youths. 

On the night of the performance, everything was going as they had rehearsed. The angels were hovering around Mary and Joseph. The sheep and donkeys could be heard across the room. It was time for the shepherds to appear on stage. The director waited in anticipation for them to “follow the sign.” Waited in anticipation for the shepherds to remember what he had instructed them to do -- follow the giant, massive star held by the angel. “Follow the sign,” they were told. “You can’t miss it!”  

As they came onstage, one of the mischievous shepherds noticed a blinking exit sign at the back of the room. Whispering to the others, he pointed at it and said, “There’s our sign! Let’s go!” Without missing a beat, the shepherds ran offstage, headed straight for the exit sign, and ran out the door, leaving the angel and the star behind. They did not follow their sign!  

Shepherds are a different breed of people and probably the last people we would expect to be chosen to see the newborn Jesus and then be asked to profess it to the world. Firstly, shepherds were religious outcasts. Because of their work, they rarely had time to participate in Jewish feasts and holidays. They were seen as unclean, according to Jewish Law because among other things, they didn’t participate in the washing rituals required by the Law. It wasn’t necessarily their fault. It was the hazard of their job.  

Shepherds were social outcasts. They were constantly moving their flocks from pasture to pasture. They weren’t considered to be trustworthy because the townspeople never got to know them – they lived in the fields all the time. They were with their sheep 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. They would sleep in the pen at night to keep people from stealing the sheep and other animals from attacking them. It was a lonely, tedious, and dangerous job. Hearing their job description doesn’t make your job look too bad, does it?!  

It's time to announce to the world the birth of Jesus Christ, the Messiah, our Savior, God’s Son, the one who has been prophesied about for hundreds of years. Who does God choose to make this amazing and joyous announcement but a group of shepherds? Not a priest or rabbi. Not a ruler or government official but a group of shepherds. Shepherds, social and religious outcasts, were visited by an angel and given the good news of Jesus’ birth—social and religious outcasts invited to see God’s child lying in a manger.  

I’ve been thinking a lot about the words the angels said to the shepherds, “This will be a sign for you.” They told the shepherds that the Messiah, the Lord, had been born. The sign for them was a child wrapped in cloth and lying in a manger.  

I’d like you to take a moment and think about a baby you saw for the first time – the youngest baby you can remember seeing. Maybe it was your own child. Perhaps it was a grandchild, a niece, or a nephew. Maybe it was the child of a dear friend. Now, think about how you felt when you looked at or held that newborn baby. Think about the emotions you felt. Did you feel joy? Were you in awe? What were you thinking?   

Now, I’d like you to take all those feelings and imagine you are a shepherd, visited by an angel, invited to travel through the night to find the sign – the baby wrapped in cloth and lying in a manger. As the shepherd, you look down at the baby. Now, remembering all those emotions you felt when you looked at or held a newborn baby for the first time, you feel all these emotions again, but this time as a shepherd. You are the shepherd, seeing the Messiah, the innocent newborn baby—the child of God. 

Seeing a newborn brings a sense of awe at the miracle of new life. They are small, fragile, and dependent, yet they represent incredible potential and hope. That baby in the manger, Jesus, carried the world's hope and salvation.  

Seeing a newborn reminds us of how something so small and vulnerable can carry immense significance. When the shepherds saw Jesus in the manger, it was simple and humble. Yet, it revealed God’s plan and how God works through what appears small or ordinary to do something extraordinary.  

A newborn is a sign of love. It signifies a parent’s love for one another and their child. A baby reminds us of the purity, care, and promise that love brings into the world. In seeing the baby in the manger, the shepherds saw the sign of God’s deep love for humanity.  

A newborn is a powerful reminder that life continues, hope is alive, and there is potential for joy and renewal even in the most challenging times. In the baby in the manger, it meant to the shepherds that God’s promise of peace and salvation was real and present.  

The shepherds weren’t given a grand, elaborate sign—they were told to look for something as humble and relatable as a newborn baby. God often speaks through the ordinary: a kind word, a quiet moment, or a simple act of love. This story of the shepherds is a reminder to pay attention to small blessings and moments of grace in daily life. The shepherds were regular, everyday people—not kings, not scholars. The fact that they were the first to hear the good news shows that God’s love is for all of us, no matter who we are. Today, this encourages us to see our worth in God’s eyes and share God’s love with others, especially those who feel overlooked or unimportant. 

On this Christmas Eve, the shepherds' story reminds us that God is still present, speaking to us in ways we can understand, offering hope, and inviting us to respond with joy and faith. Just as the shepherds followed the sign to find Jesus, we are called to follow God’s signs in our lives, trusting that they lead us to God’s love and purpose. May you keep your eyes and hearts open to see and follow the signs God leads you to as you celebrate Jesus’ birth and wait for his coming again.  

 Amen.