Shepherds AND Wise Men
Each December, I set out a cherished family heirloom: a miniature nativity set. I call it a family heirloom, because my guess is, maybe it was someone’s family heirloom at one time? Me, I’ve only had it for a few years now–having found it for $1.99 at a thrift store. It has become a keepsake to me. I love how detailed each facial expression is, despite their diminutive size (pieces range from 1 to 3 inches).
Why do I share this with you?
Well, this set has Shepherds AND Wise Men in the nativity scene. Not uncommon. However, historically they didn’t arrive at the same time (the Shepherds were nearby so arrived the night of Jesus’ birth, while the Wise Men were far away and showed up later). So for years I didn’t set out Wise Men in my “official” nativity set, because I wanted to be historically accurate to that moment (laugh out loud!).
The Shepherds and Wise Men came from different cultures, different countries, different economic backgrounds, different professions AND the way they were alerted to Jesus’ arrival and their own journeys to Jesus were very different. And yet…
And yet, BOTH the Shepherds AND the Wise Men came to worship the Messiah, Jesus.
In Matthew 2:1-2 & 9-11 MSG, we learn about the journey of the Wise Men:
“After Jesus was born in Bethlehem village, Judah territory—this was during Herod’s kingship—a band of scholars arrived in Jerusalem from the East. They asked around, “Where can we find and pay homage to the newborn King of the Jews? We observed a star in the eastern sky that signaled his birth. We’re on pilgrimage to worship him.”
“Then the star appeared again, the same star they had seen in the eastern skies. It led them on until it hovered over the place of the child. They could hardly contain themselves: They were in the right place! They had arrived at the right time! They entered the house and saw the child in the arms of Mary, his mother. Overcome, they kneeled and worshiped him. Then they opened their luggage and presented gifts: gold, frankincense, myrrh.”
In Luke 2:8-20 MSG, we learn about the journey of the Shepherds:
“There were shepherds camping in the neighborhood. They had set night watches over their sheep. Suddenly, God’s angel stood among them and God’s glory blazed around them…
“The angel said,… I’m here to announce a great and joyful event that is meant for everybody, worldwide: A Savior has just been born…
“…the shepherds talked it over. “Let’s get over to Bethlehem as fast as we can and see for ourselves what God has revealed to us.” They left, running, and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger. Seeing was believing. They told everyone they met what the angels had said about this child. All who heard the shepherds were impressed.
“…The shepherds returned and let loose, glorifying and praising God for everything they had heard and seen. It turned out exactly the way they’d been told!”
For those of us that worship Jesus, we may not have much in common with each other on the outside: Our journeys to Jesus may look very different from each other; but to God, we are very much the same in our hearts–as we gather together around Jesus in grateful worship!
Going back to my nativity, I think I’m going to start including the Wise Men WITH the Shepherds in the arrangement for now on!
Merry Christmas!
–Melissa Logsdon, NCF Associate Pastor
2 Comments On “Shepherds AND Wise Men”
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Thank you, Melissa. Whether we travel afar or stay close to home this season, we are all invited to join in praise with angels and shepherds, wise men and stars. Joy to the whole world.
Understanding the difficulty with Calendar time, we introduce a brief lag:
We bring out the wise men (and their camels) at Epiphany and leave them up until Candlemas. It doesn’t solve the calendar time problem.
A young child asks, experiencing Christmas in December and Holy Week/Easter feast in April: “Why did they crucify the baby Jesus?”