The Big announcement

Wake the Faith up Slayer… This is Garth Heckman with the David Alliance and you can reach me at

TDAgiantslayer@gmail.com 

 

 

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The Big announcement… 

What is the biggest announcement you have ever made? 

It was fun making the announcement to a a big party of friends and family that Kim and I got engaged… 

 

Jesus the Messiah is coming and God announces it to Mary- probably a good idea, then to Joseph… another good idea… But the next announcement comes as a shocker…. 

 

 -2 The Shepherds. The Lowly, the least of these. They were dirty, thought to be untrustworthy. 

Jesus was the son of David… David was a shepherd. it would be like Jesus to say… you know what, I am going to reveal myself first to those that our in my history. The least of these. the shepherds… David will get a kick out of this. 

 

 

*What would it have said to the world if Jesus had announced his birth to the KINGS, Pharaohs, the Elite, the Rich and Powerful? 

 

 

Shepherds are one of the only jobs that you spend enough time doing your job (feeding the sheep, protecting the sheep, guiding the sheep, sleeping with the sheep) and you smell like your job. You smell like sheep. 

Jesus came and served mankind to the point of smelling like mankind. He ended up taking on the sin of mankind. 

 

 

The Shepherds… though they are smarter, more trained, have more class and dignity… over time the sheep start to see them as sheep. The shepherd has the power of life and death over the sheep… and yet familiarity is corruptive. And yet Jesus allows this while on earth.

HE BECOMES MAN… SEEN JUST LIKE ANY OTHER MAN BY MANY - 

 

John 10:26-30 Jesus says he is the shepherd and his sheep know his voice. 

 

The Shepherds kept the flock outside of Bethlehem for the different festivals and feasts where there we’re sacrifices needed… and specifically the day of atonement when the High Priest had to get a spotless sheep to sacrifice in the holy of holies. Now the angels are showing up saying.. “hey you are out of a job”. There will no longer be a need for sheep for slaughter! 

 

Shepherds looked over the flock. Much like Jesus did. There is much symbolism and it is easy to see why God would choose shepherds.

Jesus said the sheep hear my voice and and know me… Jesus was seen as a shepherd. he was seen as the lowest of the low (can anything good come from Nazareth?) 

 

The Shepherds traveled 90 miles by foot with sheep to find Jesus! 

*WHEN GOD TRULY REVEALS HIMSELF TO YOU, YOU WILL GO THE DISTANCE TO KNOW HIM!

 

And they set out looking for the savior in a manger, wrapped in swaddling cloths… These same wrappings were what they buried their dead in. A terribly beautiful reminder of Christ beginning and the end.