December 20, 2020
Luke 2:8—Shepherds and Angels
“And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.” Luke 2:8
While this verse in Luke is the introduction to the next section of the birth narrative, we can glean a lot from this one verse. In Luke, we see a reoccurring theme of Jesus being born and living out his ministry for all God’s people; including those who are poor, suffering, sick, or as Howard Thurman writes in his own book, “Jesus and the Disinherited,” those with their “backs against the wall.”1
During this time period, shepherds were outcasts in society. Shepherds were unclean according to law, seen as dishonest, and therefore lived on the outskirts of town to tend to sheep. These people were among the lowest of low, along with women, people who were sick, and the poor. If the angels came to visit these outcast shepherds during this time period, what does that say about who God is? Spend some time reflecting about what it means that Jesus came for everyone. If this birth story occurred today in 2020, who would the angels show up to? “It cannot be denied that too often the weight of the Christian movement has been on the side of the strong and the powerful and against the weak and oppressed—this, despite the gospel.”1 -Howard Thurman
Prayer: Holy God, thank you for your empathic understanding and compassion for all of your children. Be with us as we work towards listening and understanding of those we may not understand, as we know that Jesus Christ was born for all of humanity. Amen.
Katy Whitesell
1Thurman, H. (1949). Jesus and the Disinherited. Abingdon Press.