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The Shepherd's message
SERMON – 10.15am, Emmanuel Church, Pokfulam, Hong Kong
Sunday 28th December 2008
The Very Revd Andrew Chan
The Dean of St. John's Cathedral, Hong Kong
As we are celebrating the birth of Christ in Christmastide, let us look at two of the main personalities to find the best way and spirit with which to celebrate this feast. These are the shepherds and Mary.
First, the shepherds. As the Prophet Isaiah says, "The Lord has proclaimed to the end of the earth: Say to daughter Zion, 'See, your salvation comes; his reward is with him and his recompense before him.' They shall be called,, 'The Holy People, the Redeemed of the Lord; and you shall be called, 'Sought Out, a city not Forsaken.'"(Is 62: 11 –12).
Isaiah wrote this when he returned home from exile. The land had been devastated, fields left uncultivated, fallen structures and debris were everywhere. People were despondent and hopeless, those who had been called "The Chosen People" seemed abandoned. The 'God of the Mighty Army,' the 'Ever-Victorious God' was unable to withstand even one blow! It seemed 'Age of the Messiah' was a vain hope after all. It had been a fantasy, a rumor only, a broken promise, with no foundation in truth. Year after year the Israelites had waited in hope for the Messiah, as the people in a drought look to the cloud, the drowned person to the helpful arm.
But when the time had been fulfilled, God's promise of thousands of years did indeed materialize. The Messiah truly appeared in the midst of humankind! Some shepherds keeping watch at night heard the angels' joyful message: "Be not afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which will come to all the people; for to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a babe wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger." ( Lk 2: 10-12)
They went, they saw, they found, they believed. Thousands of years of waiting and anxiety, year after year of expectation, - suddenly he was there before their eyes, their expectations had been fulfilled, had become a reality! The shepherds spread the word and gave praise to God. They glorified God with joy, praised His great mercy and sang of His wonderful love. "They made known what had been told them about this child. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God" ( See Lk 2: 17, 20 )
It is true what Confucius said, "If a man in the morning hears the right way, he may die in the evening without regret." These shepherds did not just hear the Way, they were actually with the Way, and in personal, individual, close contact with this Way. Having had contact with the Way, the shepherds must live out the Way, experience the blessings of the Way, and spread news of the Way.
That was the shepherds' response to the coming of Christ. It must be our response and attitude at Christmas also, preaching by word and deed what we have experienced of God's great gift of salvation.
The second important personage at Christmas is Mary, the mother of the newborn infant. Scripture records that Mary 'kept all these things in her heart.' That is, she 'remembered,' or 'pondered them in her heart.' Over and over she thought about her experiences, contemplated them deeply. "Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart." ( Lk 2 : 19 )
Mary was just a young country girl, simple and unpretentious. She was not from a prestigious or well-known clan or tribe. She was from common, ordinary stock. How could she not think back to nine months earlier when the angel had said to her, "Hail, full of grace!" She was part of the Chosen People who had waited for thousands of years for the Messiah. Now he would be her son, growing within her womb, part of her very life!
I would like to ask, "If Mary didn't accept God's calling through Angel Gabriel, could Rosa accept? Or, if not Rosa, could Fanny or any other accept?"
Right! It doesn't matter whether it is Mary, Rosa, Fanny or any other person. But some one had to accept the invitation. If no one accepted it, God would not have become human. That is God's plan.
This is the role of human beings in God's salvific plan, a role that cannot be replaced.
We are accustomed to place everything in God's hands, but God puts everything into our hands. God's plan and design is to have us bring up children through their parents, educate students through teachers, spread the good news through faithful Christians and experience God through our relationships with each other. If we do not cooperate with God, God does not act alone.
Therefore besides thanking God we have to thank Mary for her part in God becoming human.
Mary's faith was extraordinary, her dedication of self absolute. She wanted to be God's servant, to serve God with her whole life. She was not afraid to offer her all, bear all, sacrifice all.
Her first sacrifice after her acceptance of God's invitation was loss of reputation.
Mary treasured all the words said by the Angel and pondered them in her heart.
Mary's acceptance of God's calling is reflected in her life. She obeyed God in all things, every minute, every hour, not only in the beginning but throughout her entire life. Mary grasped the decisiveness of the annunciation. She was aware that she had pledged to do God's will every moment of her life. Now she has just already taken up the task to bring up her Son of God.
Because of Mary's cooperation, God's plan of salvation becomes true, Christ's birth becomes true and the Christmas celebration becomes significant to us.
As the baby inside her grew day by day, Mary was overwhelmed with a combination of feelings: anticipation, anxiety, joy, blessedness. The Chinese sages wrote, "the closer I get to my homeland, the more nervous I am". As the date for her child grew nearer Mary must have had an unfathomable emotion. It must have been an indescribable emotion the best and greatest mother in the world felt before she gave birth to her first-born child.
Finally, Jesus was born. The infant lying before her was truly God, yet truly human. She held him in her arms, kissed and cradled him, fed him. With her own life's precious milk she nursed him. Her life actually had come from him, and now she was nourishing his life with her own life!
Let us meditate and reflect again and again! How can we not be filled with astonishment and gratitude, marveling at this mystery, a mystery we can never fully understand. What else can we do except continue to 'ponder in our hearts' the God who came down to earth for us.
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