Shepherds

If I could've been anyone the night that Jesus was born I would like to have been a shepherd. There they are going about their usual business of tending sheep when something so extraordinary happens that they'd never forget it. Just a regular day of regular work until...."an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified." Wow. I can't even imagine what that must of been like.

Every time an angel appears to someone in the Bible it is followed by words like "they were terrified" or "do not be afraid". To see an angel has to be a most amazing thing. They aren't those cute chubby little baby things with tiny wings or pretty ladies dressed in flowing gowns....that's nothing to be afraid of. But mighty warriors and messengers of the Lord that are truly something awesome and scary to behold!

So they say, "Don't be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people." Gospel means good news. The shepherds were the first to hear anyone proclaim that the Word was made flesh. What good news! And oh yes, what great joy indeed.

So not just one angel but a whole host appeared praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests." (!) What a show that must have been. It gives me chills to think about it. We have a little children's book in which the illustrator draws the angel in front of the shepherds. The angel is a figure of amazing bright light and the shepherds are teeny tiny in comparison. That's sort of what I imagine them to be.

They hurry off to find Jesus and are among the first the welcome him. And after seeing what they saw, how could they just welcome Him into the world without welcoming Him into their hearts as well? I doubt they wrestled with the common thought of today about the Lord.

After they see Him they go off and tell everyone they see about their night. And when everyone hears it, they are amazed. I wonder if they wanted to hurry off to go find him too. There were no inhibitions, no fear of men wondering what they would think. They were so in awe of what just happened to them that they could not help telling everyone they saw. Here's one of my favorite parts. "The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God..."

That is how I want to be after celebrating Christmas. I want that renewed hope and joy that comes from meeting my Savior just as the shepherds did. I want a lasting spirit that glorifies and praises God as I go about my own usual business. There is no gift that could ever compare to that.

My guess is that they didn't sleep much that night. If I were them, I would constantly be thinking, "why me?" Just a shepherd going about my work, nothing amazing, and God chose to tell me first. What a precious and humbling thought. Maybe someday in heaven I can ask them about it.