Hallmark Christmas movies are in full swing now, so I thought this meme was fitting! 🙂 … What has 15 actors, 4 settings, 2 writers, and one plot? 632 Hallmark movies.
“All share a common destiny…” Ecclesiastes 9:2a (NIV)
Wishing you a very Merry Christmas this year! Watching this telling of The Christmas Story by Pastor Willie George is an annual tradition for our family. I hope you enjoy it too!
This meme seems vaguely familiar…The amount of work that I need to get done before Christmas (vs what I’ve actually accomplished).
“Therefore my spirit is overwhelmed within me…” Psalm 143:4a (NASB)
In the Christmas story we read that angels appeared to shepherds to announce the birth of Jesus. In the past, I had never really given much thought to the significance of shepherds at the birth of Jesus. I’ve lived in Oklahoma or Texas for the majority of my life, and my in-laws are ranchers so agricultural references don’t really strike me as odd or incomprehensible.
Then, when I have considered the representation of the shepherds, it’s only been in the context of their humble occupations and place in society. I’ve understood their presence to symbolize that Jesus came for the undesired, outcast, unwanted, or marginalized. I’ve even written about when I learned of the possibility that the shepherds might have even been women. However, I previously hadn’t really considered that there might be even more significance and impact to these shepherds.
So why shepherds? Why THESE shepherds? Was there some significance to this? There absolutely was! Many scholars and theologians believe that these were no ordinary shepherds. It is believed that there was great significance and symbolism to some of these elements of the nativity story and specifically to the details surrounding these shepherds. We’ll discuss what many believe to be the symbolism and meaning behind each of these and why they are so significant and important to the nativity story.
“And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”
So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.” Luke 2:8-20 (NIV)
My daughter and I were sitting together watching some Hallmark Christmas movies this past weekend. In the shows the subject of the authenticity of Santa Claus was brought up. My daughter is 13 now, but we’ve never actually had a conversation about if Santa Claus was real or not. Honestly, I expected her to ask the question a few years ago because that’s when she started doing the eye rolling and saying a long drawn out “Moooommm” when I’d say anything about Santa.
While we were sitting there I asked her, “Why haven’t you ever asked me about Santa? Your brother did.” She mentioned something along the lines that she knew he wasn’t real, but she like playing along. I assured her that a conversation wouldn’t change anything. Then I proceeded to tell her about my previous conversation several years ago with her brother. I remembered this post that I had written back then, and I pulled it up. Some of the similarities of then to now were pretty strange!
That conversation ALSO took place while watching Hallmark Christmas movies in early November. At that time I was in bed recovering from some vertigo. Similarly, this weekend I’ve unfortunately also been recovering—this time from COVID-19. Again, this conversation was not a very Hallmark or Pinterest worthy moment either!
I ended up reading her the post below, and we had a pretty good conversation about it. She reassured me that she didn’t feel betrayed, and she wasn’t upset (something I was apparently unduly concerned about before according to my original post). Thus, we still had a pretty good little teachable moment.
I thought you guys might like to revisit this post too! …If nothing more than for entertainment value! 😉
Well, I had the Santa conversation this past weekend. Honestly I expected it some time ago, but somehow we’ve been able to avert it. This past week I’ve been recovering from a bout of vertigo. I decided to take the weekend to just completely rest and veg out because lying down seems to help significantly. Thankfully Hallmark has already started their Christmas movie bonanza so I had that to help with the boredom. You know how I’m a sucker for Hallmark Christmas movies! 🙂
So there I was just lying there in and out of sleep, relishing my Christmas movies, when my son comes in and lays across my bed. Then the question came…
Hey Mom, are you and dad Santa?
I shared this story last year. It’s worth watching/reading over and over. It’s one of my favorite illustrations of the story of Christmas.
A few years ago I heard this story as an analogy of why Jesus came to earth. I thought it was a perfect explanation that makes Jesus incarnation (becoming human) easier to understand. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.
There was once a man who didn’t believe in God and didn’t hesitate to let others know how he felt about religion and religious holidays, like Christmas. His wife did believe and raised their children to have faith in God and Jesus, despite his disparaging comments.
One snowy Christmas Eve, his wife was taking their children to a Christmas Eve service in the farm community in which they lived. She asked her husband to come, but he refused as usual, “The Christmas story is nonsense!” he exclaimed. “Why would God lower Himself to come to Earth as a man? That’s ridiculous!”
She and the children went, and he stayed home.
That night the wind began to blow and the snow turned into a blizzard. As the man looked out the window, all he could see was a blinding snowstorm. He sat down before the fireplace to relax. Suddenly, there was a loud thump. Something had hit the window.
Then, a second thump. He looked out, but couldn’t see more than a few feet because of the blinding snow.
When the storm let up a little, he ventured out to see what could have been beating on his window. In the field near the house was a flock of wild geese. Apparently they were flying south when they were caught in the blizzard and couldn’t go on.
They were lost and stranded on his farm, without food or shelter. Flapping their wings, they aimlessly flew around the field in low circles. Some had apparently flown into his window.
The man felt concern for the geese and wanted to help them.
The barn would be a great place for them to stay, he thought. It was warm and safe. They would be saved if they spent the night there waiting out the storm.
He opened the barn doors wide. Then he watched and waited, hoping they would notice the open barn and enter. But the geese just fluttered around aimlessly and didn’t seem to notice the barn or realize what it could mean for them.
The man tried to get their attention by waving a lantern, but that just seemed to scare them, and they moved further away. He went into the house and brought out some bread, broke it up, and made a breadcrumb trail leading to the barn. They still didn’t catch on.
Now he was getting frustrated. He got behind them and tried to shoo them toward the barn, but they only became frightened and scattered in every direction except toward the barn.
Nothing he did could get them to go into the barn where they would be safe. “Why don’t they follow me?” he puzzled. “Can’t they see this is the only place where they can survive?”
He thought for a moment and realized that they just wouldn’t follow a human. “If only I were a goose, then I could save them,” he said out loud.
Suddenly, he had an idea. He went into the barn, got one of his own geese, and carried it in his arms as he circled around behind the flock of wild geese. When he released his goose, it flew through the flock and straight into the safety of the barn. One by one the other geese followed it to safety.
He stood silently for a moment as the words he had spoken a few minutes earlier replayed loudly in his mind: “If only I were a goose, then I could save them!” Then he thought about what he had said to his wife earlier that evening, “Why would God want to be like us? That’s ridiculous!”
Suddenly, it all made sense. That is what God had done. We were like the geese–blind, lost, perishing. God had His Son become like us so He could show us the way and save us. That was the meaning of Christmas, he realized. As the winds and blinding snow died down, his soul became quiet. Suddenly he understood what Christmas was all about, why Christ had come.
Years of doubt and disbelief vanished like the passing storm. He fell to his knees in the snow, and prayed his first real prayer: “Thank You, Lord, for coming in human form to get me out of this world and leading me to a better one.”
A couple of years ago I shared this funny video of how kids retell the story of Christmas. I thought it was worth revisiting this year!
“They asked Jesus, “Do you hear what these children are saying?” “Yes,” Jesus replied. “Haven’t you ever read the Scriptures? For they say, ‘You have taught children and infants to give you praise.'” Matthew 21:16 (NLT)
The Shepherds and Angels
“That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.”
Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying, “Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”
When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”
They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished, but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often. The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them.” Luke 2:8-20 (NLT)
About this same time a year ago, I saw an Instagram post on shepherds from Dave Adamson. Dave is a favorite of mine, often giving Hebrew and biblical background and insight in his devotions (go give him a follow—he’s amazing!). This post (below) offered a paradigm shift for me and for the way I could potentially look at the nativity and the shepherds. In this case, what stood out to me the most initially was that I never thought of the shepherds potentially being women.
“Christmas is a time when we many of us break out nativity scenes of adorable baby Jesus laying on golden straw, surrounded by Mary and Joseph, some cute sheep and lambs, and a few friendly shepherds. We do this because while we instinctively know that Jesus’ first century birth was not clean or sanitary by modern standards, we want it to look as inviting as possible. But when we do this, we also risk inadvertently sanitizing the Good News of the story. Let me explain.
On a trip to the Holy Land, I had the chance to meet a shepherd herding her sheep. Yes, I said “her”, because in the Middle East, shepherds are culturally most often the young girls of the family—unless there are no daughters, in which case it falls to the youngest son (like David). As I approached the flock—and especially the lamb in this image—the smell was overpowering, even from a distance. In the first century, this smell marked a shepherd as an outcast. Author Alexander Shaia says; “To smell like sheep was the mark of shame. When you smell of sheep, everyone knew you were to be avoided.” But God chose to announce the birth of His son to these smelly, outcast shepherds, and even sent angels to invite them to see Jesus!
THIS IS THE GOOD NEWS—that Jesus left the comfort of heaven to welcome the outcast, and the shamed. He came to be a shepherd—to be surrounded by his sheep, to carry us on his shoulders. He came into our mess to smell like sheep.
Are you feeling outcast today? Do you carry shame and guilt? Is your life a mess? Then the Christmas story is for you!”[1]
“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” — John 10:11
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