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Shepherds who were the first to worship the Messiah

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Bible verse : Luke 2:20 (NIV)

he shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

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There is a small town called Bethlehem in the land of Judah. Bethlehem means “house of bread.” Although it is a small town, it is famous because it is the hometown of David, the great king of unified Israel.

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Many people suddenly began to gather in quiet Bethlehem. The reason why so many people gathered together was because of an order given by the emperor.
Caesar Augustus, the Roman emperor who ruled the Jewish nation at the time, ordered the people of all the countries he ruled to go to their hometowns and report the census.

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All the inns were filled with guests as many people flocked at once to conduct a census. People who arrived there late had to scramble to find a place to sleep. However, unlike the busy streets of Bethlehem, the fields near Bethlehem were very peaceful.

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There, shepherds gathered to take care of their sheep. In particular, shepherds did not leave the fields and stayed by the sheep because fierce animals such as wolves would sneak up and steal the sheep in the middle of the night. They slept among the sheep and were looked after by the sheep.

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At one point, the quiet sky over the field suddenly brightened and an amazing sight unfolded. Angels dressed in bright clothes appeared before their eyes.
The shepherds who saw this scene were so surprised and trembled with fear.

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The angels reassured them and said, “Do not be afraid. “We have come with good news to all the people of this land.” Only then did the shepherds stop being afraid and begin to listen to what the angels were saying.

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This is what the angels said to the shepherds: “Today in David’s village a savior (Messiah) has been born for you. He is the one who will save you. “If you go down to the village now, you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.” The angels informed the shepherds that a child had been born in Bethlehem, David's town, to save the whole world.

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After saying these words, the angels gave great praise to God. “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
After the praise, the angels left the shepherds and disappeared into the sky, and the field became quiet again.

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After the angel left, the shepherds began to talk about what had just happened.
“Let us quickly go to Bethlehem. Let us go there and see if what the angels have told us is true.”
The shepherds hurried to Bethlehem to confirm what the angels had said.

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They went to a stable in Bethlehem, thinking about the news that the baby born to the angel was lying in a manger, that is, a horse feeding trough.
There, just as the angel had said, there was a newborn baby lying in a manger and the child's parents were there.
The baby the shepherds were looking at was Jesus who came in a body like ours to save us.

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Joseph, whose hometown was Bethlehem, came here to report the census with Mary, who was almost ready to give birth. When they arrived, all the inns were already full. They had no choice but to find a shabby stable and have Mary give birth to Jesus and place him in a horse feeder.

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The shepherds told Joseph and Mary what the angels had said to them in the field and everything that had happened. Joseph and Mary were very surprised when they heard this. In particular, Mary engraved in her heart the words the shepherds had told her.

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The shepherds were very happy when they saw with their own eyes what the angels had told them. The shepherds who met the Messiah who would save all mankind sang joyfully and gave glory to God as they returned to the fields. Shepherds became the first people to worship Jesus, the Messiah who came to earth as a human being.

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Jesus, who is God, came to this earth through the lowest place. The first people to worship Jesus were shepherds who were of lowly status at the time. It showed that the purpose of Jesus coming to this earth was not to be served and honored. Later, Jesus spoke about this directly.
[just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." (Matthew 20:28)]

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Jesus, who is God, came to this earth by becoming a man and humbled himself.
He came to a low place and humbled himself to the point of giving his life to save all people. While Jesus lived on this earth, he worked with lowly people and made them God's people. All of us who attend Christmas worship believe in Jesus and are saved. We must strive to live like Jesus, who came to serve man. Rather than wanting to be praised by others, we should strive to become a people who serves others like Jesus.

(This is the sample conclusion provided by CTM. Please feel free to change the conclusion to best suit the listeners of your sermon.)