We transition from Joseph to the Shepherds & Angels this week in worship as we continue with our theme of Casting Christmas. We move from the supporting actor to the extras. Extras are background actors. Extras are often referred to as “background performers” or “background artists”.
Adam Hamilton writes, “First-century shepherds were at the lower end of the socioeconomic ladder. They were typically uneducated, usually poor, and since they lived among their animals in the elements, sometimes smelled of dirty sheep. Because most shepherds did not own land, they grazed their flocks on the land of their neighbors. This sometimes created tension” (The Journey, 113). He continues, “both the Hebrew and Greek words for ‘angel’ mean ‘messenger.’ Most often in the Bible, angels simply appear as people…Angels typically appear as strangers, not as winged cherubs” (115).
Our worship on Sunday will be rooted in the story of shepherds & angels found in Luke 2.8-20. Read the text here.
Why do you think Luke might have included the shepherds and angels in this story? What does it tell you about God and about Jesus to have them included as prominent extras?
Think of a time when you were a background extra when something significant was happening in the world or in someone else’s life. What was that like for you? What did you learn?
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