Pastoral Letter 243
Dear Members of St. Andrew’s Uniting Church, Friends and Adherents,
Grace and peace to you all as we farewell the year 2024 and look forward to the year 2025 with great anticipation and hope.
On the first Sunday of Advent, we lit the Candle of Hope, with our hearts full of anticipation, believing that the Kingdom is near, and God’s light will shine bright in the midst of our darkness. On the second Sunday we lit the Candle of Peace longing for God’s peace. On the third Sunday we lit the third Candle of Joy during our traditional Carols Service, believing that this candle gives the flame of joy to be a sign to us of the joy that springs forth from the wells of salvation and guides us in the way of Christ. Last Sunday we lit the fourth candle of Advent, the Candle of Love to celebrate the Love of God, reminding ourselves that Our hearts are filled with expectation that God will show great love for us.
Yesterday evening during the Christmas Eve service after lighting the Advent candles, we lit the Candle of Christ, the Light of the World, as the voices sing from the heavens, God is born among us, and we celebrate this gift from God.
Tomorrow we will celebrate the birth of Christ, hailing Him the Prince of Peace, the King of kings, who comes into our world to reconcile us with Him and with one another.
Next Sunday, the last Sunday of the year 2024, we will give thanks to God for all the blessings He provided to us during the year, regardless of the many challenges, pains and sorrows we had during the year. We know that the world was and still is in turmoil and our lives were and are full of pain and suffering, but we still believe that God is in control, and we can trust Him, for He is good. With His goodness He came to us through His Son and Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ to be with us in every struggle we have and every situation we face. With these thoughts and faith, let us look forward to the New Year being assured that God will be with us even if we will face pain and sorrow. He will take care of us. He will lift us up when we fall down, He will ease our pain when we struggle with serious health issues and surround us with His great love. So, let’s hope for the best and keep trusting Him in every situation and circumstance and continue to praise Him together as long as we can.
If you are not able to join us tomorrow, please light a candle, and join us following the attached Order of Services.
Please let me know if you or anyone else has prayer points.
Here are some prayer points for this week:
- Pray for the New Year and ask God to be with us in the year as we move through unchartered territory.
- Pray for people of Middle East and Armenia, as well as the region, where the situation is uncertain.
- Pray for the displaced people, the homeless who need shelter.
- Pray for the poor, the sick, the hungry, the struggling, the stressed and those who are less fortunate.
- Pray for our church and our future plans as we seek God’s guidance.
In Christ
Krikor
MESSAGE
Doing What the Shepherds Did
Luke 2: 8-20
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Christmas is a season of joy, light, singing, listening to Carols and Christmas songs, celebration, attending a Christmas Service, shopping, exchanging gifts, spending time with friends and family. But Christmas is much more than all these good things we do. It’s a time of profound reflection on what really happened almost 2000 years ago. Today as we revisit the familiar story of the shepherds who encountered the newborn Christ because of what the angels told them, we find not just a historical account, but a pattern for how we too can respond to the reality of Christmas.
Luke 2:8-20 brings us to a group of shepherds—ordinary people doing their ordinary work—who are suddenly caught up in an extraordinary event. Their profound experience that particular night mirrors what Christmas can be for each one of us: a time to hear, seek, and share the good news of Jesus Christ.
Let’s look closely to the passage we read today and see what the shepherds did once they heard and saw the Angel and the heavenly host, who glorified and praised God.
1. They Heard the Good News (Luke 2:8-14)
“And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.”
The shepherds were not expecting anything remarkable to happen that night. They were simply doing their job, that they used to do day after day, mending their flocks, perhaps enduring a cold night and wondering what the future might hold. Suddenly, an angel appeared, bringing a message that broke into their ordinary lives:
“Do not be afraid. 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.”
Just as the shepherds heard the good news of Jesus, we are invited to hear it anew each Christmas. Amid the noise of the festive season—shopping lists, family gatherings, and traditions—God speaks to us and invites us as His people, to hear His voice and listen to Him.
But the question is: Are we listening?
The shepherds remind us that the good news of Christmas isn’t reserved for the powerful or perfect. It’s for everyone without exception; the humble, the weary, and the overlooked—for you and me.
2. They Sought the Saviour (Luke 2:15-16)
“When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.’”
The shepherds didn’t just hear the message and stayed where they were. They acted responding to the great news they heard from the Angel and the heavenly host, who were glorifying God. They left their flocks and journeyed to Bethlehem to see the Christ child for themselves. They didn’t say why they were going to Bethlehem in the middle of the night, nor did they think to go when the day breaks, after all it is safer to journey during daylight. But, no! They left and went to find the Saviour, who was born that night, as the prophets had promised many years ago. They did what we should do today as we are reminded again of the wonderous story of salvation that is possible with Christ Jesus.
Christmas invites us not only to hear about Jesus but to seek Him. In a world full of distractions, pain, suffering, sickness, disasters and war, it’s easy to let the message of Christmas remain a story rather than a reality.
What might it look like for us to seek Christ this season?
What are we, as God’s people, supposed to do today?
Perhaps we can set aside time for prayer, read the Bible to reflect on the nativity story, or attend a Christmas service with an open heart. Like the shepherds, we are called to respond actively to God’s invitation.
3. They Shared the Joy (Luke 2:17-20)
“When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.”
The shepherds didn’t keep the good news to themselves. Their encounter with Jesus compelled and made them to share it with others. They became the first evangelists of the gospel, spreading the joy of Christmas far and wide. They could have kept that wonderful unique experience just for themselves. No! They decided to share this incredibly good news, spreading the word concerning what had been told about the Saviour’s birth. They returned glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen.
What about us?
Today, as we experience the wonder of Christmas, we too are called to share it with others. This might mean telling a friend or family member about the hope we have in Christ or reflecting His great love through acts of kindness and generosity. Sharing the love and what we have are good ways of sharing the joy that we have because of the born Saviour, Jesus Christ. The message of Christmas isn’t just for us—it’s for the world.
We are called to adopt the example of these simple ordinary shepherds and live their journey in practical ways.
The example of the shepherds in Luke 2 is more than a beautiful story to tell and retell every year during the joyous season. But rather it is a model for our Christmas experience to hear the good news with open hearts, seek the Saviour through intentional action and share the joy of Christ with others.
This Christmas let’s not settle for the shallow and superficial festivities. Instead, let’s follow the shepherds’ example and encounter the living Christ.
When and if we do, we’ll find that the true wonder of Christmas isn’t just in what happened in Bethlehem 2000 years ago, but it’s in how Jesus continues to transform lives today in these challenging times.
So, let’s move beyond the surface of festive traditions and embrace the deeper meaning of the season. Like the shepherds, let’s seek and encounter the living Christ, our Lord and Saviour, our Hope, Peace, Joy and Love.
Amen!