Shepherds Who Lost Their Jobs at Christmas
Ken Trivette
Luke 2:8-18
Outline
1. THE OCCUPATION THAT WAS ASSIGNED
A) The Significance of the Shepherds
B) The Symbolism of the Sheep
2. THE OCCUPATION THAT WAS ABANDONED
A) A Glorious Appearance
B) A Glorious Announcement
C) A Glorious Anthem
3. THE OCCUPATION THAT WAS ASSUMED
A) The Saviour They Saw
B) The Saviour They Shared
Getting laid off from your job is bad, but even worse is to lose your job around Christmas time. A few headlines I came across this past week read, ''No Christmas Parade Due to Pending Layoffs,'' ''Holiday layoffs are Adding Up,'' ''Walt Disney World is planning layoffs this holiday season,'' and ''Holiday cheer damped by layoffs.''
Again, there could be no worse time to lose your job than at Christmas. I wonder if you are aware that in the familiar Christmas story before us in Luke, we find a group of shepherds that lost their job at Christmas. Actually, they lost their job because of Christmas. We are familiar with the story of the shepherds in Christmas story. We sing about them in our Christmas songs, see their image on Christmas cards, and dress the children up to represent them in our Christmas plays. The Christmas night was a glorious night, but it was a night that caused these shepherds to lose their jobs.
Let me explain by first saying a word about:
1. THE OCCUPATION THAT WAS ASSIGNED
We read in verse 8, ''And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.'' The occupation of a shepherd is often found in the Bible. The Bible mentions shepherds and shepherding over 200 times. The first shepherd we find in the Bible was Abel, the brother of Cain. Abraham, Jacob, Moses, and David were all shepherds. Some of the greatest names in Jewish history were shepherds. However, in the days that Jesus was born, the role of a shepherd was scorned and despised by the orthodox people of the day. A shepher ...
Ken Trivette
Luke 2:8-18
Outline
1. THE OCCUPATION THAT WAS ASSIGNED
A) The Significance of the Shepherds
B) The Symbolism of the Sheep
2. THE OCCUPATION THAT WAS ABANDONED
A) A Glorious Appearance
B) A Glorious Announcement
C) A Glorious Anthem
3. THE OCCUPATION THAT WAS ASSUMED
A) The Saviour They Saw
B) The Saviour They Shared
Getting laid off from your job is bad, but even worse is to lose your job around Christmas time. A few headlines I came across this past week read, ''No Christmas Parade Due to Pending Layoffs,'' ''Holiday layoffs are Adding Up,'' ''Walt Disney World is planning layoffs this holiday season,'' and ''Holiday cheer damped by layoffs.''
Again, there could be no worse time to lose your job than at Christmas. I wonder if you are aware that in the familiar Christmas story before us in Luke, we find a group of shepherds that lost their job at Christmas. Actually, they lost their job because of Christmas. We are familiar with the story of the shepherds in Christmas story. We sing about them in our Christmas songs, see their image on Christmas cards, and dress the children up to represent them in our Christmas plays. The Christmas night was a glorious night, but it was a night that caused these shepherds to lose their jobs.
Let me explain by first saying a word about:
1. THE OCCUPATION THAT WAS ASSIGNED
We read in verse 8, ''And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.'' The occupation of a shepherd is often found in the Bible. The Bible mentions shepherds and shepherding over 200 times. The first shepherd we find in the Bible was Abel, the brother of Cain. Abraham, Jacob, Moses, and David were all shepherds. Some of the greatest names in Jewish history were shepherds. However, in the days that Jesus was born, the role of a shepherd was scorned and despised by the orthodox people of the day. A shepher ...
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