“There are many who become inflamed with unreal devotion when they hear of such poverty of the Christ-child. They are almost filled with wrath against the citizens of Bethlehem; they condemn their blindness and ingratitude and are of the opinion, that had they been there, they would have rendered outstanding service to the Lord and his mother and they would not have stood for such miserable treatment. But they do not look around themselves to see how many of their immediate neighbors there are who could use their help and whom they are neglecting and leaving exactly as they are. … It is a plain lie and deception for you to think you would have done a lot of good for Christ, if you do not do it for these people. Had you been in Bethlehem, you would have paid just as little attention to him as did the others.”

Martin Luther. “Sermon on the Gospel for Christmas Eve.” Luther’s Works. Volume 52. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1974, page 26.

“Disregard the fantastic notions of the worldly-wise teachers concerning them; here the angels are pictured so well that they cannot be pictured any better. Even their hearts and thoughts may be discovered here. In the first place, by joyfully proclaiming in their song the honor of God, they indicate that they are full of light and fire. They recognize that all things are God’s and only God’s; they do not attribute anything to themselves, but with great fervor they bring honor to whom it belongs. Hence, if you wish to think of a humble, pure, obedient, joyful heart that praises God, then think of the angels.”

Martin Luther. “Sermon on the Gospel for Christmas Eve.” Luther’s Works. Volume 52. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1974, pages 29-30.

“Love of one’s neighbor and renunciation of self. The shepherds demonstrate this by leaving their sheep and by proceeding, not to the high and mighty lords in Jerusalem, not to the town councillors at Bethlehem, but to the lowly people in the stable. They present themselves to the lowly and are ready and willing to serve and to do what was expected of them. Had they not had faith, they would not have left their property lying around, especially as the angels had not commanded them to do so. For they did this out of their own free will and following their own counsel, as the text says. They talked about it among themselves and they came in haste, even though the angel did not command, admonish, or advise them to do so. All he did was to indicate what they would find; he left it up to their free will whether they wanted to go and look. Love operates in exactly the same manner.”

Martin Luther. “Sermon on the Gospel for the Early Christmas Service.” Luther’s Works. Volume 52. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1974, page 35.

“‘You cannot serve God and mammon at the same time.’ The shepherds indicate this in that they are found in the field under the sky, and not in houses; thus they do not cling or cleave to temporal goods. In addition, they are in the field at night, despised and not recognized by the world which sleeps during the might and likes to strut and be seen during the day. But the poor shepherds are up and working during the night. They represent all the lowly ones who lead a poor, despised, unostentatious life on earth and live under the open sky, subject to God. They are ready to receive the gospel.”

Martin Luther. “Sermon on the Gospel for Christmas Eve.” Luther’s Works. Volume 52. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1974, page 25.

speaking of the shepherds at Bethlehem, “Luke reports that they not only came and saw, but that they also proclaimed–not only to Mary and Joseph but also to everyone–the news concerning the child and the message they had heard in the field. Do you not think that there were many people who considered them fools and bereft of their senses because they dared, as uncouth and unschooled lay people to speak of the angels’ song and message? How would they be received today…? But the shepherds, filled with faith and joy, were happy for the sake of God to be considered foolish in the sight of man. A Christian does the same; for God’s word must be considered foolishness and error in the world.”

Martin Luther. “Sermon on the Gospel for the Early Christmas Service.” Luther’s Works. Volume 52. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1974, page 37.