Happy Christmas! What does God see in the shepherds? Or rather, what is God trying to say, by choosing the shepherds first to reveal to the news of the birth of Christ? In a polarised world, God bridges to the gap between us.
I’m sure many of us will have our favourite Christmas songs which get us into seasonal mood. Many of the songs sing of being with family and friends and loved ones for Christmas, and making the journey home.
I’ll be home for Christmas by Bing Crosby, There’s no place like home for the holidays by Perry Como, and Driving home for Christmas by Chris Rea who sadly died a few days ago. So much of our Christmas imagery is about being together with loved ones.
We live in a world of distance and separation. Many people are poles apart. There is a growing distance between rich and poor, between left wing and right wing. There are also people who revel in dividing others and fill the space with a hateful agenda. We are sliding into a world where people are poles apart.
There is also a distance between human living and nature. Political, financial and industrial decisions are made at the expense of the natural world. The only pole that seems to be disappearing is the North Pole, melting by the minute because of human beings.
The shepherds are poles apart from some of the great players of the nativity story.
Their life is a far cry from the palace of Herod, from Caesar and the powers of the Roman occupation who move people from one place to another in a political game. They are far from the religious authorities who say one thing and do another. The shepherds work through the darkest hours, out in the open, religiously unclean, on the edge and out of sight, unimportant and disposable.
And yet, it’s to them that God first reveals the news of the birth of Jesus. Surely, knowing God, it’s not an indiscriminate, unplanned or impetuous decision. What does God see in the shepherds? Or rather, what is God trying to say, by choosing the shepherds first?
It’s not a question I am going to answer. But a question I leave with you—what is God saying by choosing those shepherds?
And what do the shepherds have to say? Once they’ve seen Jesus, they’re unable to keep quiet. It is the shepherds who perpetuate the rumours. They keep the message going, pass on the news. They fill the streets and the countryside with the gossip of God, their lives echo the promise of peace on earth.
Ah, peace. That antidote to distance and separation. Peace which tears down walls, and dares to reach out to others to bridge the gap that human self interest has created
So what could our prayer be for the year ahead? Well, first we need to look back at how things have been. What part have we played in the sins of society? How have we been part of the cogs of human industry that have caused disharmony and division, hatred and injustice?
If we are open and honest enough, each of us will realise that in some way we share some of the guilt of creating a world that is polarised.
Perhaps our prayer can be to begin to live in a gentler way. Gentler towards ourselves and those around us. Gentler to those with whom we disagree. Gentler towards those who are different from us.
St Teresa of Calcutta said, “Peace begins with a smile.” If we think this is too simplistic, then maybe we should try it and see how it goes.
Begin our conversations not with confrontation but with a smile. Because the beginnings of peace emanate from us. We can’t wholeheartedly expect world leaders to solve the disagreements and wars that exist between nations, if we can’t control our own personal squabbles and confrontations—if we can’t make peace where we are.
That’s what the Bible means by “charity begins at home.” That phrase is often taken by some to mean that we shouldn’t be worried about people and things out there, when we have problems of our own. What it really means is that love emanates from us, and—such as love is— it can’t be contained.
None of us is entirely powerless. We make choices every day for good or bad. So the question is—what will we do this year to bridge the gap, to bring peace, to reach out from one pole to the other? To fill the space that exists between one pole and another with love.
To discover Christ in the distance between us. To help create a world of justice, love and peace.
The shepherds managed to do it. So can we.
South Cardiff Ministry Area 