Where Do you Find God?

Where do you find God?

I know it’s a personal question, but it is one we banter around from time to time while watching the sheep. Don’t get me wrong - sometimes we talk about the most trivial of things, like the best way to cook pine nuts, and the price of olives. That’s what we were talking about when I left them today.

They send their apologies, they wanted to be here, but it’s the lambing season and you know – someone has to be there to look after the flock. So they sent me along alone to tell you the story of that night when the angels appeared to us in the fields just outside Bethlehem.

We shepherds meet there frequently – we bring all our flocks together. That way we can spell each other off during the night. Sure, the flocks get all mixed up but it’s not hard to separate them, each sheep knows the voice of his shepherd when it’s time to go our separate ways.

But that’s where we were that night. Talking together. I can’t remember if our conversation was deep or shallow but I can tell you we’ve talked a lot about it since. Shared the story with anyone who will listen.

And I often begin with that question - "Where do you meet God?"

No doubt some of you would say that you have a special quiet place, away from others and the noise of the world. You’re able to meet God there because all is calm and peaceful and you can talk to God uninterrupted and listen to God without being disturbed.

Some others may say that they are able to meet God in worship. For me it is in the synagogue. For you it would be in a sanctuary, in the singing of praise and the saying of prayers, you feel that you are able to meet God in ways that you can’t on your own.

Where do you meet God? Some of you may say you meet God when you’re with other believers studying His word, together celebrating God’s goodness and love. That’s when you meet with God.

The reason I ask the question is that I met God in a very unlikely place. I met God at work. Sounds strange, doesn’t it? It still shocks me. It’s not the place where I thought I’d meet God. I thought I’d have to be doing something holy or in some holy place, or on a holy day. But that’s not how it happened for me and the rest of the shepherds that night. I was at work. Let’s see - how would I put it in modern business language? I was watching my investments. Being the end of lambing season I was making sure that our assets increased.

And you may say, well of course God met you there. You’ve seen Christmas cards depicting the scene - it’s idyllic. The sky is clear, the stars are brightly shining. And you’re thinking palm trees and warm evening breezes. Let me tell you, this time of year it is cold up there in the mountains. A clear night means a cold night!

And then in most of the pictures you see, the sheep are always in a group huddled together enjoying the rich pasture. Have you ever seen sheep? They aren’t that smart. Their always wondering off, just keep grazing, and grazing, and grazing not minding where they are going.

And the picture always has us shepherds sitting on a hillside – sitting – huh! We have to be watching for stray lambs, always going after the ones that wander off. Always watching for thieves and wild beasts that come to carry off the lambs. And when we do sit, you may think, isn’t that so pretty and peaceful, but we have a different word for it – boring! Watching sheep eat is, well, it’s boring.

And that’s the amazing thing. We were doing what we do every day. We were looking after business. We weren’t doing anything you would consider holy, and that’s when God showed up. One of His angels came to us – and you can understand our surprise. You don’t often expect God to show up at work! But that’s part of what I learned that day. God can break in on you any time. He’s not restricted by our artificial divisions. God can show up here because it’s holy, but not here because, well, that’s definitely unholy. I mean God shows up where ever He wants to show up.

To be sure, he may not show up with the celestial fireworks that we experienced that night in the fields of Bethlehem but still He can show up with as much power and an encounter with Him can be as authentic, even in the midst of the busiest day. Imagine, you going to work in one of those huge office towers, or in one of those large warehouses, or going to work in your basement and receiving a message from God, “This day in the office in which you work, Jesus Christ is alive and active. He is knocking at the door of your routine existence and, if you open up to Him, you will be presented with incontrovertible evidence that will radically alter every aspect of your life.”

Since that day I’ve been looking for Him more and more at work. And I’ve found Him there more and more - in the peace He gives me when facing a terrible challenge, or in the ability to relate to my fellow shepherds (some of them can be rough, you know.) But I’ve been aware of the fact that God is even present in situations in which I least expect Him.

So the angel appears and says, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Saviour ahs been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths an lying in a manger.”

To us a Saviour has been born - we couldn’t believe it! Not only were we not doing holy work but I can tell you that we shepherds are not considered to be holy people! We are not that far up the social ladder from lepers. I mean everyone looks down on us, sort of a necessary evil. The religious leaders need us to provide the lambs for the sacrifices, but they sure wish we didn’t have anything to do with it. They simply tolerate us. It’s not our fault, our jobs just don’t allow us to keep all the rituals of the law. We can’t be doing all the ritual washings and sacrifices and looking after the sheep at the same time. There’s no way the sheep are going to look after themselves!

And holy days? Forget it. Tending sheep is a 24-hour-a-day job. We never go off duty to attend the prescribed feasts and festivals. We are not considered to be the holiest of people.

And again, that’s the amazing thing. Why did God send His messengers to us? Why did God choose us to tell the news? I mean, wouldn’t you think He would tell a priest or a prophet or some other religious leader? Someone who is in touch with these things and has managed to keep the law?

Of course, that may have been the problem. Maybe He couldn’t find anyone who has kept the law. I mean if we are honest, who has? Surely everyone of us has failed God in some way? I know I have. And yet God showed Himself to me, told me of the Saviour.

I’m no expert in the Scriptures, but it’s just like God though, isn’t it? He chooses the smallest nation to demonstrate His love. He chooses a young boy to fight a huge giant. He chooses a group of unholy shepherds to tell the news of a Saviour He chooses to come to earth as a baby.

Makes you wonder what God can do through you, doesn’t it?

And make no mistake - God uses the simplest of gifts that are offered to Him. I mean, after we went to Bethlehem and saw the baby Saviour lying in a manger with His mother Mary, it was just as we had been told. We told everyone what we had seen and heard. That the Saviour had been born. And I’ve got to tell you, if there’s one thing we shepherds can do, we can talk. We love to tell stories - it helps pass those long nights of boredom. And when we told everyone, everyone was amazed. God took our simple ability to tell stories, and used it so others could know the good news. I wonder what skills God has given you that you have yet to offer to Him – it may be a skill you never thought was useful in serving God like plumbing, or accounting or carpentry, or childcare, or sales. Yet when those skills are offered to God He’s able to use them in His kingdom and for His glory.

Well that certainly was a fantastic night – and do you know what we did afterward? You might think that we went and joined the priesthood, or you might think that we called in sick in order to meditate on God’s goodness. But we didn’t do any of that. We went back to work. To be sure we went back praising and glorifying God, we went back different people, but make no mistake we went back work.

Do you know why? Because we learned to look at our work differently. It was now a place filled with meaning and purpose. We learned that our work place, those fields, were just as holy as the synagogue. That we could just as well meet God there as we could in any other prescribed holy place. God is God – and He’s not restricted to four walls and a roof. He can show up in the most unlikely places – as a baby in a manger, or to a group of unholy shepherds doing their work by watching over their flocks at night.

I wonder if God doesn’t visit you at work? Sometimes it just takes an open eye and heart to see Him there. But He is there, from the most routine paperwork or housework to the most awesome and inspiring events. And what kind of ability has He given you that He is calling you to use for Him? It may even be a gift that you think is of no use. What can I do but tell stories? Yet He showed up at my work and used me.

Do you know what we called that little baby? Emmanuel - it means "God with us". Truly through Him, God is with us and for us in every aspect of our lives.

Where do you meet God? It may be in places you least expect.