2nd Week of Advent 2015

With a sigh, Yehoshua shifted his position. It looked like a comfortable position wasn't going to be possible tonight. If you moved one rock, the Judean hillside would grow two more in its place. Tonight was his night to be on the exhausting second watch, and he was only halfway through it. No one liked second watch. First watch and third watch weren't too bad because at least you got your sleep in one large cluster.  On second watch, you only got a few hours of sleep before you were prodded awake with a staff in the ribs, forced to stay awake for four hours listening to the contented snores of those fortunate enough not to be on second watch. Once you finished the shift, you had to try to get what little sleep was left before the sheep started waking up. With a grunt of exasperation, he dug under his leg, pulled out the offending stone, and hurled it down the hillside in angry satisfaction. Oh well, it may not be the most coveted of jobs, but at least shepherding put food on the table which was more than some people had.

 

 As his practiced eye scanned the surrounding hills for danger, Yehoshua's attention was drawn to a faint light shimmering in the darkness above him. At first he gazed into the sky, mesmerized. Then, he realized that the light was growing. As it grew, it got brighter. Wait, it wasn't getting bigger; it was coming closer! The nearer the light came the sharper it got. When it finally stopped directly overhead, the light was so blindingly pure it was painful. Yehoshua heard gasps of fear from around him as the other shepherds awoke to the dazzling light. Then, sound pierced the midnight sky, “Do not be afraid because I bring good news that will give you great joy!” Yehoshua dared to raise up and open his eyes to snatch a glimpse of the angelic being above him. “Today in the city of David, a Savior has been born. He is Christ, the Lord. As a sign to you, you will find him wrapped in swaddling cloth and lying in a manger.” And the sky exploded. Yehoshua and his friends were surrounded by an uncountable number of angels as a wall of joyful sound assaulted them. “Glory to God in the Highest”, they sang! “And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.” Yehoshua lurched to his feet, blinking away spots and trying to shake the ringing out of his ears. Faster than they had appeared, the angels had left. From behind him someone asked, “Did you hear what I heard?” Yehoshua searched back through his memory and gasped, “They said ‘Messiah has been born!’” The shepherds all looked at each other, looked at their sheep, and left as one toward a baby and a manger.

  With a sigh, Roshan shifted his position. Though they were perfectly suited for traveling through the harsh and necessary conditions, Roshan hated riding on camels. They had no grace, none whatsoever. When the beast walked up a hill, Roshan would have to lean forward and grasp at anything he could find to stay upright. Then the good for nothing animal would go down the hill, and Roshan would just about have to put his feet on the camel's neck to keep from sliding down and dangling off said neck like an infant monkey on it's mother. The others didn't seem to be faring as bad as him, maybe he just had a defective camel. Hopefully he wouldn't have to suffer this infuriating animal much longer. If that backwater King Herod and his “wise men” spoke the truth, then the end of the journey, the little town of Bethlehem, was just over the next rise. 
 

  As his uncomfortable saddle lurched from side to side, Roshan reflected over the last couple of years. It had all started with a star. As chief astrologer to the court, Roshan had been the first to spot this strange phenomenon in the heavens. Everyone was confounded by this light in the night sky. Yes, it looked like a star, but it didn’t behave like one. By day he would scour every manuscript available, and by night he would search the sky, all the while looking for answers. Then he discovered a passage in the Jewish Torah, “There shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Scepter shall rise out of Israel.” At first it seemed ridiculous that the answer would be found in a dusty scroll from an exiled people, but then someone stumbled upon  manuscripts recorded by Daniel. Daniel's prestige gave more weight to the idea, and the time span he predicted for the Jewish Messiah fit perfectly with everything that was unfolding. From that point, Roshan was on a mission; he must find out the truth. Never before had he witnessed a god display his power this way. To be perfectly honest, he had never seen a god display any power. Surely there were unexplained things in the world, but that was just because Roshan or his compatriots hadn't figured the cause out yet. But this star was different. It hadn't begun like other stars he had seen birthed into the heavens. It was different, and Roshan wanted to know why. He had to see this Messiah for himself. Was it all true? Roshan brought his findings to the king and by cashing in every favor he had collected, he won permission to caravan across the desert to Israel. Now, after months of traveling, he stood at the entrance to the small town of Bethlehem. He simply couldn’t wait any longer, so as his servant shared news and gossip to the others in the caravan Roshan rushed ahead to the home the servant described. Turning the final corner, Roshan halted his camel, dismounted, and began to walk. As he neared the doorway, a young woman crossed the threshold with a toddler on her hip. Roshan’s search was over.

The Bible tells us that God is love. Not that He loves, but that His very being is love; we find the definition of love by finding Him. God’s love is freely offered to all and we see that in how He announced the birth of His Son. It was not just to lowly shepherds, or just to influential wise men, that God made His announcement. He sent messengers to both. In the same way, the salvation that Jesus offers through His death and resurrection is available to all, from the minimum wage shift worker to the elite one percent in their private jets. Wherever, whatever, or whomever you are has no bearing on God’s love for you or for the gift He offers through Jesus Christ. The manger was filled with a baby because God loves you. The cross was raised up because God loves you. The tomb stands empty because God loves you. Jesus is one day coming again because God loves you. May the Love of God seen in Christ Jesus light your way this Christmas. May you find it, embrace it, and give your all in return.

”For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” - John 3:16

(All Scripture taken from the New International Version)