Bishop Gruss reflects on how the shepherds lived the meaning of Advent with ‘listening hearts’ in message for third week of Advent

Now for this third week of Advent, I would like to reflect upon the “listening hearts” of some seemingly insignificant people – the shepherds. In Luke’s Gospel for Christmas Eve, we hear that the angels first announced the Good News to the shepherds, revealing that a Savior was born for them. This is not coincidental.

The shepherds were often the lowest class of people in that society. They were often the youngest boy in the family. David was a shepherd boy, for example.  The shepherds, being the first to hear about this birth, reveals that God came into the world among a suffering and insignificant people, the humble and the lowly.

Good news of great joy

The Gospel says the shepherds were watching over their flocks at night and that an angel of the Lord appeared to them. We also read that the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel told them, “Do not be afraid. I proclaim to you good news of 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 swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.”

The sky revealed the glory of God. Then the shepherds decided to "go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."

It is interesting to note that Jerusalem and Bethlehem, and the surrounding fields were not in the wilderness where ordinary flocks of sheep were kept. These flocks were under the care of the shepherds near Bethlehem and they were destined as sacrifices in the Temple at Jerusalem. These shepherds could have been men who were accustomed to preparing lambs for the temple sacrifices.

They were educated in what an animal that was to be sacrificed had to be, and it was their job to make sure that none of the animals were hurt, damaged, or blemished. Only unblemished lambs could be offered as sacrifices in the temple.  These lambs were apparently wrapped in “swaddling cloths” to protect them from injury, and a similar cloth was also used to wrap the Lord Jesus.

What would the shepherds have thought when they heard: “Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.”  The message of the angels signified, among other things, that the time of animal sacrifices would soon end. The offering of Jesus Christ, the Savior, would soon take place.  And, the shepherds knew exactly where to go to find the baby Jesus. It was the same as the birthing place for the lambs.

Hoping for the long awaited Messiah

But, from my perspective, these shepherds were no ordinary shepherds. Why would the shepherds leave their flock and go to Bethlehem, even though it was not too far in the distance from the shepherd’s field? Why would the shepherds accept the words of the angel’s revelation?

If you were one of those shepherds, would you have gone, leaving the sheep for which you are responsible behind, without protection?

Their hearts must have been open to this revelation. They too, must have had that interior disposition before the Lord that enabled them to see and understand the fulfillment of the prophecy of Micah right before their very eyes. Their interior disposition was hoping for the long awaited Messiah. They were living the meaning of Advent. The angel of the Lord declared the sign for them; they trusted and they obeyed, leaving their sheep behind and going to Bethlehem to meet the Messiah.

You are I are invited to be like these shepherds, lowly and unassuming, open to receiving the gift of God. Do you have an Advent heart, a heart that longs for a deeper life in our Savior?

Yes, the Messiah has come. He has suffered, died and has risen. But Advent can be lived again in the present when we turn away from the noisiness of a world already celebrating the “holidays.” Advent can be lived again in the present when we quiet ourselves down, when we engage our listening heart, and as the shepherds did, long for the Messiah to appear to us as he did to them in Bethlehem. 

Then we too, will understand more clearly the message of the angel, “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.”