The Sligo Presbyterian Church Celebration Service - Sunday, January 1, 2023

As we move through Advent, we’re looking at the characters of Christmas. During this five-week worship series, we'll focus on some of the main characters of the Christmas story.

• November 27 – Zechariah
• December 4 – Mary
• December 11 – The SPC Youth Christmas Youth Service
• December 18 – Joseph
• December 25 – The Shepherds
• January 1 – The Wise Men

In the last service in this series, we focused on the Wise Men. A video of the service, a recording of the message and a copy of the bulletin are below.

Sunday's Message: The Wise Men

As we move through Advent, we’re looking at the characters of Christmas. During this five-week worship series, we'll focus on some of the main characters of the Christmas story.

• November 27 – Zechariah
• December 4 – Mary
• December 11 – The SPC Youth Christmas Youth Service
• December 18 – Joseph
• December 25 – The Shepherds
• January 1 – The Wise Men

In the last message, we focused on the Wise Men. A copy and recording of the message is below.

*******

Well, Happy New Year! Of course, this isn’t the first time I’ve said that today. I mean, remember that ball in Times Square dropped at midnight; therefore I’ve all had a little over ten hours to “Happy New Year” people all over the place, right? But to be completely honest with y’all, I can only say that I assume that it dropped, because I was long gone when the clock struck twelve. And when I left for the church this morning, Debbie was still asleep, and since she was up at midnight ringing in the New Year, of course with Coco Chanel, I didn’t want to wake her up. And so, my first “Happy New Year” to her was about a half-hour ago. But still, it’s the thought that counts, right? And I did say it to Shelly and Ed and Jordan and some of y’all when you got here this morning. And so, just to make sure I haven’t left anyone out, let me say, “Happy New Year.” And I’ll tell you, from what I’ve already seen in 2023, I have great hope. I mean, remember how cold it was last Saturday and Sunday? Well, it’s supposed to be in the low 60s on Tuesday, which must mean that Winter is almost over and Spring is on the way, right? Please, tell me I’m right.

And you know, it’s kind of interesting, on this day when we’re entering a new year, we’re also tying up a sermon series we started back at the end of November, one focusing on some of the characters we associate with the story of Christmas either from the Gospel of Luke or the Gospel of Matthew. Now we started by looking at Zechariah, you know, the father of John the Baptist, and talked about how he ended up showing faith despite the doubt he initially felt. The next week we looked at Mary, the mother of Christ, and talked about how she was willing to accept the mission God had given her with humility and enthusiasm. And then we looked at Joseph, Jesus’s adopted father, and talked about how he put aside some of the values and principles he assumed that God wanted him to follow in order to do what God had actually called him to do. And finally, last week, on my sixth Sunday Christmas, we looked at the shepherds, a group of regular working men, who listened to what an angel had to say and who left what they were doing, celebrated with Mary and Joseph and then returned to their world praising God. Now, that’s what we’ve already done.

And this morning, we’re going to put a bow on this by using a passage from the Gospel of Matthew to consider the Wise Men, something that just seems right, especially since Friday is what’s called the Epiphany of the Lord, in other words, the day we remember the coming of “we three kings of orient are.” And sort of like we saw last week, these guys are really unique when compared to Zechariah and Mary, Joseph and the shepherds. You see, unlike everyone else we’ve been talking about, the Wise Men were most definitely not Jewish: no way, no how. In fact, as we’re going to see, there’s really no indication that they returned to the orient spiritually much different than they were when they left. In other words, according to what Matthew wrote, they didn’t convert either to Judaism or Christianity. And I’ll tell you, that one simple fact will shape the questions we’re going to consider this morning. I mean, although we’re still going to answer the questions, who were the Wise Men and what happened to them, since I don’t think their personal faith was really involved in the story, our third question will be this: how did the Wise Men serve God? And you know, since their situation is a little different from our own, I think we’re going to approach them from a slightly different perspective. You see, we’re going to use our time discussing how God might do great things through men and women who are not believers, you know, who are not like us.

Of course, doing that kind of thing is really impossible until we answer question number one: who were the Wise Men? In other words, who were these guys who, with their camels, kind of dominate every nativity set and who sure seem to play an important role in the birth of Jesus Christ? Well, this was what the Evangelist Matthew wrote:

When Jesus was born in the village of Bethlehem in Judea, Herod was king. During this time some wise men from the east came to Jerusalem [Matthew 2:1, CEV]

Now that’s what Matthew wrote. 

And I think it’s important to note that the Greek word translated here as “wise men” is μάγοι, the root for the English words “magic” and “magician.” And I’ll tell you, that’s kind of how the μάγοι were viewed, at least by regular folks in the first century. I mean, they were scientists who knew some stuff about the world that seemed mysterious to most people. And they were physicians who knew how to deal with diseases that most men and women couldn’t explain much less control. But most important of all, they were astrologers. In other words, they knew all about the stars, but more important than that, they knew what the stars and their alignment meant. And I’ll tell you, this was really important, because in a world where people relied on signs to determine what they should and shouldn’t do, man, this was some powerful knowledge. They were wise men. And according to Matthew, they were from the east, and although there’s a lot of space east of Palestine, they were probably priests from either Persia or Babylon. And that’s who the μάγοι were. Of course, that also meant that they weren’t Jews. As a matter of fact, the only other place in the New Testament when we run into μάγοι is in this passage from the Book of Acts:

Barnabas and Saul went all the way to the city of Paphos on the other end of the island, where they met a Jewish man named Bar-Jesus. He practiced witchcraft and was a false prophet. He also worked for Sergius Paulus, who was very smart and was the governor of the island. Sergius Paulus wanted to hear God's message, and he sent for Barnabas and Saul. But Bar-Jesus, whose other name was Elymas, was against them. He even tried to keep the governor from having faith in the Lord. [Acts 13:6-8, CEV]

You see, Bar-Jesus, Elymas was called a μάγον, just like these guys from the east who will play an important role in the coming of Christ.

And I’ll tell you, there’s a part of me who kind of wishes I didn’t know all this about the Wise Men. You see, I think I’d have been a lot happier seeing them as an Arab, a black guy and a Scandinavian, each wearing a different kind of crown, standing or kneeling before baby Jesus. I mean, seeing them as being physically different is one thing; but according to the word Matthew used, what these “Wise Men” believed was radically different from anything Zechariah or Mary, Joseph or the shepherds had been taught. My gosh, now-a-days, it would be like saying a Muslim Imam, a Buddhist priest and an atheist walk to the manger, and that’s no joke. No, in terms of their backgrounds and their beliefs, the μάγοι were so unlike us that, frankly, it makes me uncomfortable, but that’s exactly who the Wise Men were; the answer to our first question.

And so that leads to question number two: What happened to the Wise Men? In other words, what happened to these guys from the east whom respectable Jewish men and women associated with magicians and sorcerers and false prophets? Well, this was what Matthew wrote:

When Jesus was born in the village of Bethlehem in Judea, Herod was king. During this time some wise men from the east came to Jerusalem and said, “Where is the child born to be king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.”

When King Herod heard about this, he was worried, and so was everyone else in Jerusalem. Herod brought together the chief priests and the teachers of the Law of Moses and asked them, “Where will the Messiah be born?”

They told him, “He will be born in Bethlehem, just as the prophet wrote,

‘Bethlehem in the land

    of Judea,

you are very important

    among the towns of Judea.

From your town

    will come a leader,

who will be like a shepherd

    for my people Israel.’”

Herod secretly called in the wise men and asked them when they had first seen the star. He told them, “Go to Bethlehem and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, let me know. I also want to go and worship him.”

The wise men listened to what the king said and then left. And the star they had seen in the east went on ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. They were thrilled and excited to see the star. [Matthew 2:1-10, CEV]

Now according to Matthew, that’s what happened. 

And you know, I really find this amazing. I mean, for reasons I will never understand, God chose to lead a group of pagan astrologers to his son, the one whom Joseph had been told to name “Jesus,” because he was going to save his people from their sin and who would be for humanity Immanuel, bringing the very presence of God into our world. You see, he didn’t choose Herod, the King of Judea, and he didn’t choose the chief priests and he didn’t choose the teachers of the Law, and he didn’t choose anyone from Jerusalem. As a matter of fact, he didn’t choose a Jew at all. Instead, he chose to lead a bunch of foreigners, who came from a foreign land and who spoke a foreign language and who worshiped foreign gods. These were the ones God led to his son, the messiah, the King of Jews. And he did it in a way that those foreign μάγοι, these astrologers would understand; he did it through a star in the heavens. You see, that’s what God did. And I’ll tell you, it worked. You see, those Wise Men followed that star. And after getting a little additional information, they found the child, just as God intended.

And I’ll tell you, I think that’s something really important for us to recognize. You see, I think it’s easy to believe that God is only working through Christians, you know, followers of Jesus Christ, men and women who share our backgrounds and beliefs. Man, that’s what we’re told by people we respect. And although I think we all recognize that there are good people outside our little group, I believe it’s tempting to assume that they’re probably the exception to the rule and that, for the most part, those who come from these foreign lands and who speak in these foreign languages and who worship these foreign gods are impediments to God’s work and his will. Therefore, the possibility that they’re actually being led by God, and I’m talking about the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, man, that’s highly unlikely, bordering on impossible. And because of these assumptions, it becomes easy to overlook not only what they’re doing but also the ridiculous possibility that God, the one we worship, is calling them and leading them and empowering them to do it. That kind of thing just doesn’t happen, right? And so we focus on ourselves and ignore them, completely forgetting that God can guide and direct those whom we consider on the outside in order to do great things for the entire world. And I’ll tell you, we should know that’s possible, because that’s exactly what happened to the Wise Men, the answer to our second question.

And of course, that leaves us with question number three, one that’s worded a little different from the third question we asked when we were talking about Zechariah and Mary, Joseph and the shepherds. You see, since there’s really no indication in the story that the Wise Men either had or showed what we’d consider faith, our third question is simply this: How did these Wise Men, these μάγοι, these foreign astrologers serve God? Well, just listen to what Matthew wrote:

When the men went into the house and saw the child with Mary, his mother, they knelt down and worshiped him. They took out their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh and gave them to him. Later they were warned in a dream not to return to Herod, and they went back home by another road. [Matthew 2:11-12, CEV]

Now that’s what Matthew wrote, and I want y’all to think about the three things those Wise Men did. I mean, first, they worshiped. But before anyone assumes that this must show faith, the Greek word used here refers to kneeling in respect, you know, sort of like a good subject would do to his king or a good husband should do to his wife. You see, it’s more a sign of humble honor than religious devotion. And so, they offered the one they saw as the new King of the Jews the respect he deserved. But that’s not all they offered, because, second, they offered Jesus gifts that reflected who he was and why he would be important: gold, the metal of kings, and frankincense, a resin that was used as incense during religious worship, and myrrh, a really strong smelling spice that was utilized in embalming. These were the gifts they brought. And third, when warned by God in a dream not to return to Herod, they did what they were told to do, giving Joseph and Mary time to pack up and to head to Egypt before Herod could get his hands on their son. You see, this was how those Wise Men from the east served the God whom they really didn’t know. 

And I’ll tell you something, I believe the same is true today. In fact, I think it’s probably happening all around us and often we either overlook it or attribute it to something or someone else. God’s work is being done by people who are labeled foreign and strange. And I’ll tell you, in my opinion, it’s good that this kind of thing is happening all the time, because let’s get real, in our world, there’s a whole lot more people like them than like us. Now that’s just the way it is. You see, whether we see it or not, whether we like it or not, they’re doing great things for a God they may not even know. And imagine, imagine if we decided to view them like I think Matthew wants us to view the μάγοι, as people who are very different from us, and yet who are being led right this minute by the one we call savior and Lord. And as such, they end up serving God in some amazing ways. Of course, that’s certainly not true of everybody and let’s get real, different doesn’t mean better. Still, if we’re allow ourselves to trust that all things really are possible for God, I think we’ll be able to recognize that there just may be all kinds of μάγοι out there, men and women who’ll hear Jesus say, 

“My father has blessed you! Come and receive the kingdom that was prepared for you before the world was created. When I was hungry, you gave me something to eat, and when I was thirsty, you gave me something to drink. When I was a stranger, you welcomed me, and when I was naked, you gave me clothes to wear. When I was sick, you took care of me, and when I was in jail, you visited me.” [Matthew 25:34b-36, CEV]

You see, they’re doing God’s work. 

And us, well, we can decide to acknowledge them and to support them and to help them do what they were called to do, because that’s exactly how the Wise Men served God; the answer to our third and final question.

And I’ll tell you, this is something we can certainly choose to do as we enter this new year, with all the new opportunities and possibilities that are right now before us. You see, as we move forward, we can recognize that we can still trust God even though, from time-to-time, we might have some doubts. And we can claim what we’ve been called to do with humility and enthusiasm. In fact, we can do that, even if it challenges us to move beyond some of those beliefs and opinions that might prevent us from being the men and women we were created to be. And then we can, when we hear the voice of God, leave behind our everyday lives and celebrate with our Savior and then return as changed people. And finally, as we look out into our world, we can choose to see men and women, who are very different from us, being guided by the same Lord and Savior to accomplish great things. Now, if we want, this can become our vision for a new year, all because of these five characters of Christmas.

The Bulletin for the SPC Worship Service - Sunday, January 1, 2023

Below is a copy of Sunday's bulletin. As we move through Advent, we’ll be looking at the characters of Christmas. During this five-week worship series, we'll focus on some of the main characters of the Christmas story.

• November 27 – Zechariah
• December 4 – Mary
• December 11 – The SPC Youth Christmas Youth Service
• December 18 – Joseph
• December 25 – The Shepherds
• January 1 – The Wise Men

On Sunday, we'll focus on the Wise Men. You can stream the service by going to the Sligo Presbyterian Church YouTube Channel at 10:00 a.m., Sunday 

The Sligo Presbyterian Church Celebration Service - Sunday, December 25, 2022

As we move through Advent, we’re looking at the characters of Christmas. During this five-week worship series, we'll focus on some of the main characters of the Christmas story.

• November 27 – Zechariah
• December 4 – Mary
• December 11 – The SPC Youth Christmas Youth Service
• December 18 – Joseph
• December 25 – The Shepherds
• January 1 – The Wise Men

In the fourth service, we focused on the shepherds. A recording of the service and the message and a copy of the bulletin are below.

Sunday's Message: The Shepherds

As we move through Advent, we’re looking at the characters of Christmas. During this five-week worship series, we'll focus on some of the main characters of the Christmas story.

• November 27 – Zechariah
• December 4 – Mary
• December 11 – The SPC Youth Christmas Youth Service
• December 18 – Joseph
• December 25 – The Shepherds
• January 1 – The Wise Men

In the fourth message, we focused on the shepherds. A copy and recording of the message is below.

*******

Well, here we are, Christmas Day. And you know, I think it’s kind of interesting. Since 1987 when I was ordained and worked with my first congregation, this is the sixth time Christmas has fallen on Sunday. And you know, each time, I was living in a different state. For example, it happened in 1988, when I was in Fairview, Montana, and by the way, I looked it up, the temperature out there on the twenty-fifth was about 40̊. And then it happened again in 1994 when I was celebrating my second Christmas in Indianapolis, that was predebbie,  and then in 2005 when I was teaching history and economics in Buckingham County, Virginia, Maggie was three and I was working part-time with three little, bittie churches right close to the James River. And then, in 2011, we were at Cove Presbyterian, right there in downtown Weirton. And in 2022, well, here we are. And take it to the bank, of all my Sunday Christmases, this is the coldest.

But be-that-as-it-may, this morning, we’re going to continue our series by looking at another one of the characters that most of us associate with the birth of Christ. Now, to this point, we’ve talked about Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, and how he showed faith even though he had some doubts, something that we can certainly apply in our own lives. And then, we focused on the virgin Mary and how, when the angel Gabriel announced that God had chosen her to do something which would change the history of the universe, after some initial questions, she accepted her call with humility and enthusiasm, something else we can all do as live out the lives God has called us to live. And then last week, we discussed Joseph, Jesus’s adopted father, and how he allowed himself to change when challenged by the word and will of God, once again, something that we can certainly do when all those rules and assumptions we’ve convinced ourselves that God wants us to follow are challenged by that simple yet profound pair of related commands: that we love God and that we love our neighbor as ourselves. And so, as we’ve seen, each of these individuals offers us a very clear and definite example of faith that we can sort of integrate into our own lives all year long. Now that’s where we’ve been.

And this morning, well, we’re going to do something a little bit different, because we’re not going to be talking about a character, you know, a single individual. Instead, we’re going to focus on a group that plays a pretty big role in the birth of Jesus Christ as written by the Evangelist Luke. You see, during the rest of our time together this morning, we’re going to focus on the shepherds, a bunch of guys who are mentioned in most of our Christmas carols and who, I can guarantee, are part of every single nativity set. Now that’s going to be our focus. And to do that, we’ll follow the same sort of structure we’ve used in the prior three character-driven messages. In other words, we’ll use scripture and in particular the birth story in the second chapter of Luke to answer these three questions: first, who were the shepherds; second, what happened to them right after Jesus was born; and third, how did they show faith. Now, that’s what we’ll be doing for the next ten minutes or so. And hopefully, by the end of the message, we’ll have some ideas about how we might respond just like they did as we move beyond this day into the new year.

And as we’ve done three times before, we’ll start with question number one: who were the shepherds? In other words, who were these guys who were so important in Luke’s story and who, I believe, offer us examples that we can follow? Of course, the description offered by the Evangelist is pretty brief and basic. I mean, he wrote, “That night in the fields near Bethlehem some shepherds were guarding their sheep.” [Luke 2:8, CEV] Now, I don’t know about y’all, but for me, this information isn’t all that new or exciting. Shepherds in the fields, hanging out with sheep, who’d have thought;  I mean, dah. But that’s it; that’s all Luke offered as background. And so, we probably need a little more information to really understand who they were. 

And you know, when you consider shepherds in first century Palestine, well, they’re kind of a mixed bag. For example, on one hand, economically, politically and socially, they were about as plain as dirty. Now, that’s not saying that they were in the same league with prostitutes and tax collectors, because they weren’t. Rather, they were just common people, who had a job that enabled them to earn enough each day to put some food on their table, not unlike farmers or merchants or carpenters. And so, on one hand, in the eyes of the world, man, shepherds were nothing to write home about. On the other hand, though, in scripture, shepherds were held in high esteem. I mean, all the way back to Abraham, some of the greatest people in Jewish history were shepherds. And remember, when he was looking for a new king, Solomon found David hanging out with sheep. But it wasn’t just shepherds as persons; even their profession was presented in a positive light. As a matter of fact, the care and compassion that a good shepherd might show to his sheep, you know, his ability to lead them to green pastures and still waters and his willingness both to protect the flock and to find the lost, these were all used to illustrate God’s love for us. I mean, 

The Lord is my shepherd; 

I shall not want.

He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: 

he leadeth me beside the still waters. 

[Psalm 23:1-2, KJV]

And so, I guess you could say that shepherds were just plain folks who had the potential of showing great compassion. 

And in a real way, doesn’t that sort of describe us? A couple of days ago I saw this on Twitter about Elon Musk:

It’s 80,000 BC. You are immortal. The world is still frozen in an ice age. You decide to save $10,000 EVERY DAY, never spending a cent. 82,021 years later, it's 2021. You still don't have as much money as Elon Musk.

Now, let me be clear. I’m in no way criticizing Elon Musk or suggesting that he doesn’t deserve what he’s worth. My point is this: as I look out at y’all, I don’t think there’s a single Elon Musk here this morning. Why; because that’s just not who we are, are we? I mean, for the most part, we’re right there, on the fat part of the bell curve, sort of like the shepherds. But I’ll tell you, also like them, I think we have both the capacity and the opportunity to do what we’ve been called to do in a way that actually shows great mercy and compassion. You see, in my opinion, we’re all kind of mixed bags. That’s really who we are, and I’ll tell you, that’s also who the shepherds were, the answer to our first question.

But you know, having said that, according to the story from the second chapter of Luke, there’s definitely one area where we have a real leg up on the shepherds. You see, unlike them, we know what happened in Bethlehem, don’t we? And we know it, because Luke told us when he wrote:

About that time Emperor Augustus gave orders for the names of all the people to be listed in record books. These first records were made when Quirinius was governor of Syria. 

Everyone had to go to their own hometown to be listed. So Joseph had to leave Nazareth in Galilee and go to Bethlehem in Judea. Long ago Bethlehem had been King David's hometown, and Joseph went there because he was from David’s family.

Mary was engaged to Joseph and traveled with him to Bethlehem. She was soon going to have a baby, and while they were there, she gave birth to her first-born son. She dressed him in baby clothes and laid him on a bed of hay, because there was no room for them in the inn. [Luke 2:1-7, CEV]

You see, when we first meet the shepherds, this we already know.

And that really leads to question number two, doesn’t it: What happened to the shepherds? What happened to them as they were out in that field guarding those sheep? Now that’s the question. And I’ll tell you, while Luke was a little brief in describing who they were, he offered a lot of information about what happened. He wrote, 

All at once an angel came down to them from the Lord, and the brightness of the Lord's glory flashed around them. The shepherds were frightened. But the angel said, "Don't be afraid! I have good news for you, which will make everyone happy. This very day in King David's hometown a Savior was born for you. He is Christ the Lord. You will know who he is, because you will find him dressed in baby clothes and lying on a bed of hay."

Suddenly many other angels came down from heaven and joined in praising God. They said:

"Praise God in heaven!

Peace on earth to everyone

    who pleases God."  [Luke 2:9-14, CEV]

Now, that’s what Luke wrote. 

And you know, when you look at what he said, the angel actually told the shepherds two really important things. You see, after saying to them the same thing angels always seem to say, “Don’t be afraid,” first, he identified Jesus, didn’t he? I mean, just like any good reporter would do, he gave them the who and the what and the when and the where. Now that’s what he did. And the information he gave was so accurate, that, as we’ll find out in a little while, these shepherds were able to find the one he described. You see, the angel identified Jesus. But he didn’t stop there, because second, he described what Jesus had come to do. I guess you could say, along with the first four, the angel moved on to “w” number five. You see, thanks to the message, those shepherds knew why he came. He came to be the savior. He came to be the Christ. He came to be their Lord. In other words, he’d come to be the one that Zechariah, described when he said this right after naming his son John:

Praise the Lord,

    the God of Israel!

He has come

    to save his people.

Our God has given us

    a mighty Savior

from the family

    of David his servant. [Luke 1:68-69, CEV]

You see, through the angel Jesus was identified and his mission was described.

And I’ll tell you, the same thing has happened to us. I mean, even though we may not have heard it from the lips of an angel, man, we can identify Jesus also, can’t we? I mean, let’s get real, we know who he was and what he did and when he came and where he was born and lived and died. Man, we know this stuff. And we know it because, not only do we have the Book, in Greek, the Βίβλος, the Bible, God sent to us his Holy Spirit, so that we could hear and understand and believe. You see, like the shepherds, we can identify Jesus. But also like them, we also know why he came. Using the words that a man named Simeon will say later in the second chapter of Luke, when Mary and Joseph presented their son in the Temple:

“Lord, I am your servant,

    and now I can die in peace,

because you have kept

    your promise to me.

With my own eyes I have seen

what you have done

    to save your people,

and foreign nations

    will also see this.

Your mighty power is a light

    for all nations,

and it will bring honor

    to your people Israel.” [Luke 2:29-32, CEV] 

You see, based on what we’ve heard and understood and believed, we can trust that Jesus still is the Savior and the Christ and the Lord, just like the angel said. This has happened to us, because that’s exactly what happened to the shepherds, the answer to our second question.

And that leaves us with question number three: How did the shepherds show faith? In other words, after these very common men heard the message from the angel, how did they show that they believed, that they had faith, you know, that they trusted what they’d heard. Well, just listen to the Evangelist Luke:

After the angels had left and gone back to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see what the Lord has told us about." They hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and they saw the baby lying on a bed of hay.

When the shepherds saw Jesus, they told his parents what the angel had said about him. Everyone listened and was surprised. But Mary kept thinking about all this and wondering what it meant.

As the shepherds returned to their sheep, they were praising God and saying wonderful things about him. Everything they had seen and heard was just as the angel had said. [Luke 2:15-20, CEV]

Now that’s what they did. You see, shepherds decided to leave, to go from their field and their flocks so that they could check out what the angel had said. And then they decided to celebrate, to share what they’d heard and to listen so that they might grow. And then they decided to return, to go back to their field and their flock and to go back to the lives they were living before. You see, they decided to return, because they couldn’t live their lives just staring at a baby lying in the straw. But I’ll tell you, they didn’t go back as the same men they once were, because they weren’t the same. Man, they’d been changed by what they’d heard and understood and believed. And even though, after the story ended, they were never mentioned again, at the very least, we know that “as the shepherds returned to their sheep, they were praising God and saying wonderful things about him. Everything they had seen and heard was just as the angel had said.” [Luke 2:20, CEV] Now that’s how they showed their faith. 

And you know, we can do the same thing ourselves. I mean, we know the who, what, when, and where as it relates to Jesus and we also know why he came. This we know. And with that knowledge, we can make the conscious decision to leave behind some of the mundane aspects of our lives from time to time so that we can focus on what we’ve heard and understood and believed. Of course, how we might do it; man, it’s not one size fits all. I mean, some of us might decide to move closer to God through things like study and worship and prayer, while others might discover a new sense of closeness when they’re riding a bike or painting a picture or just looking at a sunset. My gosh, I know a lot of folks whom I really respect who decide to leave their day-to-day living from time-to-time in order to feed the hungry and to give drink to the thirsty, to clothe the naked and to welcome the stranger, to care for the sick and to visit the prisoner. You see, we can also leave and go to our own special place. And there, just like the shepherds, we can decide to celebrate. I mean, we can discuss with one another how God continues to reveal his mercy and compassion through his word and in his world. And we can share with those who may be very different from us the peace and the comfort and the hope we receive when we feel as though we’re in God’s presence in a special way. And we can actively and intentionally work to improve the lives of those whom the world considers unimportant, because we know that what we do for them, we’re actually doing for Jesus Christ himself. You see, after we leave, we can celebrate. But then, like the shepherds, we can decide to return, because let’s get real, life isn’t lived on mountaintops or by mangers. It’s lived with other people, people a lot like us, with one difference. You see, based on what we’ve heard and understood and believed, we can be confident that God loves us, but they, man, they just may not know that yet. And wouldn’t it be exciting if we were somehow involved in letting them know. You see, when we decide to leave and to celebrate and to return, we’re following the example of the shepherds, because that’s how they showed their faith, the answer to our third question. 

And that, my friends, concludes only the sixth Sunday, December 25 message I’ve preached in thirty-five years. And since it won’t happen again until 2033, I have no idea where I’ll be. But I’m just hoping it’s above ground. But regardless of what the future holds for any of us, certain things probably won’t change. I mean, our world will always be full of average people who have the capacity and opportunity to show great compassion. And these folks will continue to hear and understand and believe in the who, what, where, and when of Jesus as well as why he came. And because of this, they’ll continue to see the importance of leaving and celebrating and returning. Now I believe that’s going to continue, just like it did for those shepherds on another Christmas morning, some two thousand years ago.

The Bulletin for the SPC Worship Service - Sunday, December 25, 2022

Below is a copy of Sunday's bulletin. As we move through Advent, we’ll be looking at the characters of Christmas. During this five-week worship series, we'll focus on some of the main characters of the Christmas story.

• November 27 – Zechariah
• December 4 – Mary
• December 11 – The SPC Youth Christmas Youth Service
• December 18 – Joseph
• December 25 – The Shepherds
• January 1 – The Wise Men

On Sunday, we'll focus on the shepherds. You can stream the service by going to the Sligo Presbyterian Church YouTube Channel at 10:00 a.m., Sunday morning.

The Sligo Presbyterian Church Celebration Service - Sunday, December 18, 2022

As we move through Advent, we’re looking at the characters of Christmas. During this five-week worship series, we'll focus on some of the main characters of the Christmas story.

• November 27 – Zechariah
• December 4 – Mary
• December 11 – The SPC Youth Christmas Youth Service
• December 18 – Joseph
• December 25 – The Shepherds
• January 1 – The Wise Men

In the third service, we focused on Joseph, the father of Jesus, and considered how he showed faith by looking past the rules so that he could trust and respond to God. A video of the service, a recording of the message and a copy of the bulletin is below.