LUKE 2:1-20

[1] In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be enrolled.

[2] This was the first enrollment, when Quirin'i-us was governor of Syria.
[3] And all went to be enrolled, each to his own city.
[4] And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David,
[5] to be enrolled with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child.
[6] And while they were there, the time came for her to be delivered.
[7] And she gave birth to her first-born son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.
[8] And in that region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

[9] And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear.
[10] And the angel said to them, "Be not afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which will come to all the people;
[11] for to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
[12] And this will be a sign for you: you will find a babe wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger."
[13] And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,
[14] "Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace among men with whom he is pleased!"
[15] When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us."

[16] And they went with haste, and found Mary and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.
[17] And when they saw it they made known the saying which had been told them concerning this child;
[18] and all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them.
[19] But Mary kept all these things, pondering them in her heart.
[20] And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

As we gather on this holy night I’ve got a question for you.  The shepherds were out there keeping watch over their flocks that night.  What are you keeping watch over these days?  If you’re like a lot of people you’re keeping a watch over your health.  Maybe you’re counting your calories and doing your best to exercise a little each day. Of course, you and I both know that keeping a watch over your health is easier said than done.  A wife found that out when her husband announced that he wanted to them to start eating only organically grown vegetables.  Now this was back when organic foods were just becoming popular.  So, the wife had a hard time finding those organic vegetables when she went to the supermarket.  When she asked the manager in the produce department where she could find them he didn’t know what she was talking about.  “Organically grown vegetables?” he asked.  “What’s that?”  The wife did her best to explain.  “These vegetables are for my husband,” she said.  “So I need to know.  Have they been sprayed with any poisonous chemicals?”  The produce manager shook his head.  “No,” he said, “you’ll have to do that yourself.”

When it comes to watching your health you can do all the right things and still end up with an x-ray that shows a spot on your lung.

Some people are keeping watch over their health.  If you’re getting close to retirement you may be keeping a close watch when it comes to your 401k plan and all your other investments.  No matter what you do though the market is going to do what it wants.  It may go up but it may also go way down.

What are you keeping a watch over these days? Because we live in such a materialistic society a lot of people also keep a close watch over their worldly possessions.  That means taking your car in every 3,000 miles to get the oil changed.  It means making sure the smoke detectors in your house are working properly.

Here’s one more for you.  If you’re a parent one of the things you’re constantly keeping watch over is your children. Unfortunately, the horrible events down in Newtown, Connecticut showed us once again that all the watching in the world can’t guarantee that your children will always be safe.

Unfortunately, we live in a troubled world where bad things happen all the time. That’s why the message that the shepherds heard that night is still important for us today… “behold, I bring you glad tidings 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."

In that manger our faith tells us that the all powerful God who created the heavens and the earth came to be with us. In a mysterious and mystical way God took on human form and came to be with us.  That’s what Emmanuel means by the way.  It means the God who is with us. That's why the shepherds returned to their fields glorifying and praising God.  They were full of joy because the birth of the Christ child meant that while they were keeping watch over their sheep the God who loved them was watching over them.

In the book, Small Miracles, there’s a wonderful story about a husband and wife who realized one day that God was keeping a watch over them. Bob Edwards and Carol Anderson got married several years after their first husband and wife died.  Carol’s first husband died of cancer when he was 35, and Bob’s first wife was killed in a car accident when she was 29.   One day, the two of them were glancing through an old photo album, looking at pictures that were taken while Carol was on her first honeymoon.  “We went to France,” she said, “and this picture was taken at Lourdes.”  Bob smiled. “You went to Lourdes?” he asked.  “So, did we.”  “Well,” Carol said, “I guess half the world goes to Lourdes…Everyone’s looking for blessings and miracles in their lives.”  Suddenly Bob stopped her as she was turning the pages in the photo album. “Wait a minute,” Bob said, “Let me see that snapshot again of you and Ralph at Lourdes.”  Carol turned the page back, and saw a look of disbelief in her husband’s eyes.  “Carol,” he said, “who’s that couple in the background?”  “I have no idea,” she said.  “Just as the photographer snapped the picture, a couple walked by…I can see why you asked, though…they’re standing behind us, almost as if they’re posing, but it’s an illusion.  “You’re wrong,” Bob said.  “It wasn’t a mistake, it was destiny…..that couple in the background…(it’s) me and my first wife.”

God wasn’t just keeping watch over those shepherds.  God is also watching over you and me today.   That’s the Good News that we celebrate on this holy night. So, let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.  I don’t know about you but I’m not just going to go over there tonight.  I’m also going to go over there tomorrow and the day after that and the day after that and I hope you do too.  Amen.

Rev. Dr. Richard A. Hughes

Christmas Eve 2012