Advent Archives - Pastor Rich Eddy

Why Shepherds?

Recently, I was asked by the editor of The Evangel, the national magazine of the American Association of Lutheran Churches, to write an article about the shepherds who witnessed the events of Jesus’ nativity. The alternative topic was the magi, but since they were not present at the stable,and we don’t celebrate their arrival until Epiphany, I thought an article about the shepherds would be more appropriate for the November/December issue of the magazine*. And so, I wrote the article, and it was published as follows:

“While shepherds watched their flocks by night, all seated on the ground, an angel of the Lord came down and glory shone around, and glory shone around.” These words, an almost exact quote from Luke 2:8-9, form the first verse of the old Christmas hymn, While shepherds watched their flocks by night, All seated on the ground, written by Nahum Tate in 1700. Anyone familiar with Jesus’ nativity story know about the shepherds, how they were greeted by angels, and how they found the babe lying in the manger. And anyone who has set up a nativity scene has placed a few shepherds and their sheep somewhere near Mary and the baby Jesus. But, did you ever ask the question, “Why shepherds?”

Of course, the response of many people could be, “Why not shepherds?” Bethlehem was a locale known for sheep and shepherds, and they happened to be the people who were available and awake when Jesus was born. Sure, they were close at hand. But I think there was more to it than just that; God purposefully chose those shepherds to be the first witnesses to the birth of the Savior. There are three things that make this apparent.

First, Scripture tells us that God is not impressed by titles or social standing (Acts 10:34). It teaches us in 1 Corinthians 1:27 that “God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are…” He bypassed the political and religious leaders of the day, and sent his angelic messengers to lowly shepherds instead. The shepherds came as they were: lowly, unwashed, wearing the rough clothing of their trade, the lay people of their day. But God’s call exalted them above society’s celebrities to be witnesses to the arrival of mankind’s Savior.

Second, it was fitting that shepherds, who had witnessed the birth of many lambs over their years of work, would get to witness the birth of the Lamb of God, the birth to which all the other births had pointed. Bethlehem was just a few miles from Jerusalem, so it is quite likely that many of the lambs raised by those shepherds were intended for sacrifice in the Temple. Likewise, the baby they saw born that night would one day be sacrificed for our sins, serving as “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world.” (John 1:29 and 36). Revelation 13:8 teaches us that this was God’s plan from even before the beginning; that Jesus was “the Lamb of God, slain from the foundation of the world.”

Third, it was also appropriate that God would choose shepherds to witness the birth of the Good Shepherd. The Scriptures proclaim God as our Shepherd many times, from Psalm 23 (written by David, a former shepherd), to Micah 5:4 which says the Messiah born in Bethlehem shall “shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord,” to John 10:11, where Jesus calls himself, “the Good Shepherd.” The arrival of shepherds, rather than priests, kings, or generals, proclaimed the newborn’s main calling.

Finally, we need to recognize that God’s call on the shepherds was not just for their own personal blessing. What they saw and heard was not only for some spiritual high, what we would call a “mountaintop experience.” No, they were more than passive observers; they became witnesses to what they saw and heard from the angels, and of what they found in the manger. Their testimony to Mary caused her to treasure what they said in her heart, and their testimony to other people was such that “all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them.” Then, they testified to the Lord, “glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.” (Luke 2:17-20). And finally, they continue to testify to us today, as we marvel both at their experience, and at their faith that caused them to overcome their fear and obey an outrageous command. May we also overcome any doubts or holiday distractions we may encounter, and follow the shepherds to the Savior born to us that day – and then let us tell others, that they too may wonder at the good news of great joy we share!

Now may the Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you, the Lord life up his countenance upon you and give you peace. Amen.

Read: Luke 2:1-20.

*The Evangel, A Publication of The American Association of Lutheran Churches, Issue No. 214 – November/December 2023, p. 7. Editor: Editor: Gretchen Baker.

The Twelve Months of Covid

In my previous blog, I referred to different versions of favorite Christmas carols and hymns, modified due to the current pandemic. While not belittling the people who are suffering from this disease or the shut-downs, it does help to be able to laugh adversity in the face (even if that face is masked). Here is my version of The Twelve Days of Christmas:

The Twelve Months of Covid

On the first month of Covid, my gov’nor said to me: Stay home and you’ll be virus-free!
On the second month of Covid, my gov’nor said to me: Two hands keep washing!
On the third month of Covid, my gov’nor said to me: Three diff’rent masks!
On the fourth month of Covid, my gov’nor said to me: Four sterile wipes!
On the fifth month of Covid, my gov’nor said to me: Five quar-an-tines!
On the sixth month of Covid, my gov’nor said to me: Six feet apart!
On the seventh month of Covid, my gov’nor said to me: Seven meals delivered!
On the eighth month of Covid, my gov’nor said to me: Eight grades home schooling!
On the ninth month of Covid, my gov’nor said to me: Nine Zoomers meeting!
On the tenth month of Covid, my gov’nor said to me: Ten months and counting!
On the eleventh month of Covid, my gov’nor said to me: Eleven sports not playing!
On the twelfth month of Covid, my gov’nor said to me: Twelve recalls coming!

Of course, I actually prefer a different version of The Twelve Days of Christmas, one in which the numbered gifts serve as a memory device for Christian beliefs. In this other version, the verses represent:

“My true love” = God; “sent to me” = by God’s grace

The Partridge = Jesus Christ
Two Turtle Doves = The Old and New Testaments
Three French Hens = Faith, hope and love, the theological virtues (1 Corinthians 13:13)
Four Calling Birds = the four Evangelist and/or their four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John)
Five Golden Rings = The first five books of the Old Testament, the “Pentateuch” (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy)
Six Geese A-laying = the six days of creation (Genesis 1)
Seven Swans A-swimming = the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit (wisdom, knowledge, counsel, fortitude, understanding, piety, and fear of the Lord; all but piety listed in Isaiah 11:2)*
Eight Maids A-milking = the eight beatitudes (Matthew 5:2-11)
Nine Ladies Dancing = the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23)
Ten Lords A-leaping = the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1-17 and Deuteronomy 5:6-21)
Eleven Pipers Piping = the eleven faithful apostles (Acts 1:13)
Twelve Drummers Drumming = the twelve points of doctrine in the Apostles’ Creed, the twelve tribes of Israel

In keeping with the “laugh at Covid” theme, our Christmas decorations this year have changed. Since nobody is visiting, Karen decided to put just one ornament, a red cardinal, on our main tree. When she sent a picture to one of her friends, the friend replied that the bird was “in isolation.”

And then, there is the nurse ornament from my late sister, which we modified slightly before hanging it on our smaller, “retro” tree:

If only we could get her to keep her nose inside the mask!

That’s all for now. Until we communicate again, may the Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you, the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. Amen.

Read: Job 8:21; Job 39:22; Psalm 2:4; plus all the verses cited in The Twelve Days of Christmas listed above.

*But see also 1 Corinthians 12:8-10, which lists 9 gifts: “For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues.” (Emphasis added)

Contactless Faith?

Thanks to new restaurant dining restrictions here in California, I went to pick up a meal from one of our favorite restaurants for us to eat at home. As I stood outside the restaurant’s front door, waiting for my order to be brought to me, I read the various signs posted around the entrance: “Mask required,” “Maintain six feet of social distance,” and “Contactless Curbside Delivery Available.” I wondered about the last one; wouldn’t some contact be needed, since the food is handed from one person to another? Or do they just throw the food out the window like someone feeding bread to the birds?

I also began wondering about other areas where “contact” between people is discouraged. Schools, grocery stores, parks, sports events, and even churches. The last is especially troubling; it’s one thing to warn people about packing together in small spaces, and another thing to have “Caesar” intervene in matters of the free practice of religion, which is supposedly guaranteed by our Constitution.

And now, with the current three-week restrictions on gatherings, we are being told to stay away from church services even through Christmas.

Which got me thinking even more: is faith possible without contact? Can we really have or practice “contactless faith”? How would this have changed the history of our faith, if today’s rules had always been in force? Just imagine:

If Adam and Eve had kept social distancing, none of us would even be here.
Mary and Joseph would have sung in the stable, “A way we’re in danger, no mask for our heads.”
The wise men wouldn’t have been allowed to travel across national boundaries to visit the infant Jesus. We’d be singing, “We three kings of Orient are, staying home, can’t travel too far . . .”
Other Christmas songs we’d be singing: “Deck the Halls with Rolls of Plastic,” “Edicts we have heard on high, telling us to stay inside,” and, “O Quarantine, O Quarantine, your rules are always changing. . .”
Pontius Pilate would have not just washed his hands at Jesus’ trial, he would have washed his face and used sanitizer, too.
Martin Luther’s famous defense at the Diet of Worms would have been: “Here I stand, six feet apart from you.” Then he would have self-quarantined at the Wartburg Castle for the next year.
And finally, we’d have to revise the old Twelve Days of Christmas to go something like, “The Twelve Months of Covid.”*

On a more serious note, the biggest change would have been in our Lord’s earthly ministry, which was all about making contact with us and all the people around him. Just consider:

Jesus had contact with lepers, who were the most socially-distanced people of his day: they were required to call out when they walked so other non-infected people could avoid them. When a group of them saw Jesus, they “stood at a distance” and called to him. Rather than running from them, he healed them, resulting in one falling at his feet (Luke 17:11-19).
Jesus associated with sinners, including tax collectors and prostitutes, who were the “social lepers” of his day. “And the scribes of the Pharisees, when they saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, said to his disciples, ‘Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?'” (Mark 2:16).
Jesus touched several dead people (just before raising them to life), something that was socially and religiously forbidden in his day. Numbers 5:2 ordered, “Command the people of Israel that they put out of the camp everyone who is leprous or has a discharge and everyone who is unclean through contact with the dead.” (Talk about social distancing!)
And just imagine the Last Supper, with Jesus instituting a “drive-through” Communion service as the disciples filed in and out of the upper room.

But the whole point of Jesus coming to earth was to make contact with us, the “apple of his eye” (Psalm 17:8) to save us from our sins (Luke 19:10, etc.). Rather than “staying at home” in heaven, safe from all the ill effects of the deadly disease of sin, he came down to us to suffer and die for us. He didn’t just “Zoom” us from heaven; he showed up in person, freely accepting not only the risks, but the certainty of his death. And because he did, we have eternal life – free from any future diseases!

Jesus made contact, but what about us today? Can we have faith and maintain that faith in our “contactless” society? Can we have “contactless faith”? Well, the answer is both yes and no.

“Yes,” in that we all have God’s Word available to us in many forms, both printed and electronic, so that we need never lack for his saving Word of life. God’s law and his gospel are in our hands, though we be shut away from contact with each other. As God’s Word promises, it will not return empty, but will accomplish its purpose (Isaiah 55:11).

And “no,” in two senses. First, because even when separated from each other, we are not separated from God in Christ. His Holy Spirit has come upon us and remains with us no matter what. Jesus spoke of this Spirit in John 14:17, “You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.” No distancing there. And, even when Jesus was about to “distance” himself physically from the disciples at the Ascension, he promised them, “And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” This was consistent with God’s promise made in several Old Testament Scriptures that he would “never leave you or forsake you” (Deuteronomy 13:6-8, Joshua 1:5, 1 Kings 8:57, 1 Chronicles 28:20), as well as in the New Testament book of Hebrews (13:5). Even if we were locked up in solitaire, in a prison cell, or in a cage, Christ would still be with us. Apart from him, we have no faith, for it is his gift by his Holy Spirit that we can believe. As Luther’s Small catechism states, “I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to Him; but the Holy Spirit has called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with His gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith.”

And second, though we find ourselves separated right now by circumstances, this situation is not normal and cannot continue. Christians are by nature called to come together, to be the Church, called out from the crowd and joined in fellowship. Hebrews 10:25 tells us to not neglect meeting together, “as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” Faith when isolated and neglected can grow cold. We can get too comfortable not going to church, that we forget to hold up Christ as the center of our lives and as the core of all our decisions. We begin to look at the world in the same secular way that we hear and see espoused all around us. We forget that “though the wrong seems oft so strong, God is the ruler yet.”** We need the fellowship, teachings, sacraments, and sharpening of character that only the Church, by the power of God himself, can provide.

Therefore, join with me in praying for relief from this pandemic, from the sickness and death it causes, and from the social, economic, and spiritual damage our response has caused, for “contactless faith” is a contradiction in terms.

Now may the Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you, the Lord lit up his countenance upon you and give you peace. Amen.

Read: Mark 2:13-17; Luke 17:11-19; John 14:15-27

*See the next blog for a full rendition of this slightly warped song.

** From the hymn, This Is My Father’s World, by Maltbie Babcock, 1901.

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year?

Yesterday I listened to a radio station that was playing Christmas songs. Amid the mix of secular tunes and religious carols, there were two songs that particularly caught my attention: Burl Ives’ version of “Holly Jolly Christmas” and Andy Williams singing “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year.” In the first song, Burl sings, “It’s the best time of the year.” Then, Andy follows with the lyrics: “It’s the most wonderful time of the year.”

But is it? Is Christmas (or the Christmas season) the best, or the most wonderful, time of the year? When the second song ended, it was time for the news. One of the news stories reported on a recent medical study which found that Christmas is the worst time of the year when it comes to heart attacks. According to their findings, the most dangerous time – when more heart attacks occur than any other time during the year – is at 10:00 pm on Christmas Eve.

Considering that I often preached at 10 pm at our church’s Christmas Eve services, it’s a good thing I retired when I did! As the saying goes, I “dodged a bullet” by getting out alive!

The report surprised me, because I’ve always found Christmas to be a very special season and one of my favorite times of the year – although growing up in Wisconsin I also looked forward to the summers. I mean, singing about Frosty was fun, but building snowmen in April was a bit much, so summers were always welcome.

In a way, I shouldn’t have been surprised at the report, because we know about the stresses this season puts on people: cleaning the house, shopping for presents, decorating, entertaining, and meeting various social obligations. On top of that, several million people suffer from S.A.D. – Seasonal Affective Disorder – a kind of depression caused by changes in a person’s body chemistry due to winter’s reduced sunlight. Most difficult of all, many people have lost loved ones at this time of year. While such a loss is felt and grieved at any time of year, it can be especially hard at Christmas when everyone is singing about being “happy and gay” (old definition), and the expectation is to have a wonderful, joyous time. The persons grieving see all the (real or contrived) cheery faces around them and their own grief is harder to take. Such losses are felt not only when they occur, but again every year when the “joyful” season returns.

Wow; I’ve just talked myself out of having a happy Christmas! There seem to be more reasons not to have a good time than there are to be happy. No wonder heart attacks peak on Christmas Eve!

But do not despair! Christmas can be, and should be, a wonderful season, especially for Christians. The key question to ask is, “What are we celebrating?” When we consider the various answers which people give, we find both the reasons for people’s disappointments, and the “formula” for true joy and happiness. So then, what are the various “reasons for the season” and how do they affect us?

The key question to ask is, “What are we celebrating?”

Christmas is a celebration of winter! Sure, Christmas is celebrated on December 25, just a few days after the winter solstice. And sure, some pope from centuries ago set that date, apparently to co-opt the festival that pagans were observing at the same time. In a way, he “baptized” a pagan feast and made it a Christian one, which is what Christ does for all of us in our baptisms. But you can see a number of problems with that when it comes to making us happy. For one thing, what if we don’t have a wintry holiday? What if, like in Sacramento, there’s no snow? What if (unlike in Wisconsin) there are no Frosty snowmen, sleigh rides, or “Jack Frost nipping at your nose”? No question: a forest of snow-covered pine trees is beautiful, but what if you expect a “white Christmas” and only get slush and fog? Your anticipation can let you down when your postcard image doesn’t come true.

And then there’s that S.A.D. thing. Maybe the reason for the pagans having a holiday when they did, was that they were facing a bleak time of year. Maybe that pope could have picked a cheerier time for Christmas . . . like at the summer solstice.

On top of all this, there’s the fact that we don’t know what day Jesus was born (or even which year, though we number our calendars based on his being born in 1 AD). Based on the shepherds watching their flocks by night (Luke 2:8) out in the fields, scholars believe Jesus was born just before the Passover, at the start of Spring. The reason for the flocks at Bethlehem was to supply the sacrifices for the Temple at Passover . . . anyone see any connection here to another Sacrifice offered at that time?

Finally, regarding Christmas as a winter holiday: what about those poor people living south of the equator? Their Christmas is celebrated at the start of summer, so if they based their enjoyment of that day on having “a sleigh ride together with you . . .” they would always be disappointed!

2. Christmas is a celebration of family! Yes, this is the theme of just about every TV Christmas movie which purports to teach us “the real meaning of Christmas.” It also is part of the richness of the holiday, that families come together and share their love in words and in deeds. And, certainly, families are important in our lives and in the health of our society as a whole. But if that is the core of Christmas, then we set ourselves up for disappointments and even sadness.

What about the people who don’t have a family? Plenty of people will find themselves alone at Christmas. They see the smiling faces of families in public or on TV, and feel left out of the fun. They may be alone due to divorce or the death of their spouse, or maybe never married. Others hear about the joy people have in seeing Christmas “through the wondering eyes of their children,” but don’t experience that themselves because they are childless. This familiar expectation is hard when Christmas was the time you lost a close loved one – parent, child, spouse, or sibling – and yet you hear about the joy of family.

Even when you have a large, fully intact family with whom to celebrate Christmas, there can be conflicts and disappointments when those real people get together with all their quirks and “issues.” For some families, the only time happier than the arrival of family is their departure!

3. Christmas is a celebration of gift-giving . . . and getting! Oh boy! It’s time to get that new (fill in the blank) thing I’ve always wanted! Or at least, wanted since I saw it in a commercial two weeks ago. Kids fill out lists for Santa, and adults drop hints to family or special friends to “help” them make informed choices when they buy gifts.

I still keep a list for Santa, but I have to keep updating it when I find I am always behind the curve when it comes to what I ask for. I had to cross off: a Zune, a Palm Pilot, an 8-track tape player for my car, a new typewriter, some nice bell-bottoms, and an AMC Gremlin (like I used to own!). As you can tell by my list, things I would have been happy to get once, would no longer excite anyone to get now. Such is the fickle nature of what will make us happy. At least, candy canes haven’t changed!

Yes, I keep a list for Santa, but unfortunately, Santa keeps a list, too, so I doubt I’m getting anything from him . . .

Gifts are nice, and can be a lot of fun. And the gift-giving spirit does reflect the generosity of our Lord who gave us the most precious gift of all: his own Son (Matthew 7:11, John 4:10, Acts 2:38, Romans 5:15-17, Romans 6:23, Ephesians 2:8). This gift-giving was mirrored by the magi, who brought gifts to the Christ-child (Matthew 2:11). But when the giving or getting of material possessions defines our Christmas celebration, we are setting ourselves up for disappointments.

Can I get the right gift? Is the store sold out? Can I afford it? Will the recipient really like it? Will it break within hours, will the child get bored with it in a couple days (and play with the box it came in instead)? Will I find the precious gift I gave at Goodwill a week later? What do I do with this “white elephant” someone gave me but I don’t like at all? I wonder if they ever shop at Goodwill . . .

4. Christmas is a celebration of Jesus Christ, our Savior. Okay, there we go. Finally, a Reason for the season that won’t disappoint us. No matter who we are, where we live, what time of year it is, what our family is like or if we are alone, whatever our financial resources or accumulation of stuff might be, or whatever disappointments or losses we experience at this time of year, there is one constant fact that cuts through everything and makes all the difference, and that is the birth of Jesus of Nazareth, the Messiah, the Savior of the world. Or as Isaiah put it,

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6)

When that is our focus, when HE is our focus, we can truly rejoice with the knowledge that our Creator loves us and gave himself for us, that we might be reconciled to God and have eternal life. There is no greater reason to celebrate Christmas than that, nor is there any reason more rewarding.

The most wonderful time of the year? When we celebrate the coming into the world of the Wonderful Counselor, it most certainly is!

Have a merry and joyful Christmas!

Now may the Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you, the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. Amen.

Read: Isaiah 9:2,6-7, Romans 5:12-21, Ephesians 2:8-10