In The Shoes of a Shepherd
I really love thinking through the season at Christmas. It is a great time to think about family, friends, and home comings. It seems that even with all the hype and marketing that goes around Christmas; there is a place in the human soul that wants to be home for Christmas. It stems from our God given desire to be a part of something. To be someone that matters. To be loved and having someone to love.
Among my favorite stories is the story of the Shepherds in the fields, minding their business of tending to the sheep, when suddenly the sky lit up. Angelic hosts appeared to these everyday workers, in a quiet field, removed from the town where the event of Christ’s birth was happening. Luke states it like this :
Luke 2:8-19
(8) And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
(9) And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were in great fear.
(10) And the angel said to them, Fear not: for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all people.
(11) For to you is born this day, in the city of David, a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
(12) And this shall be a sign to you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling-clothes, lying in a manger.
(13) And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
(14) Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will towards men.
(15) And it came to pass, when the angels had departed from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even to Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known to us.
(16) And they came with haste, and found Mary and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.
(17) And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.
(18) And all they that heard it, wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.
(19) But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.
I am always amazed by the fact that God chose to announce his birth in this manner on earth. He could have come to kings, queens, mayors, governors, and people of great authority in government. He could have come to the great businessmen of the day, but He didn’t. He chose a quiet field on the edge of town, where the common sheep herder was making a meager living, and keeping watch. Sheep herding was a very humble job, without much glory or pay. These men probably understood the struggles of life very well. Sleeping outside, staying with the sheep, isolation, possible loneliness. And now, suddenly, without warning, the Bible says the glory of the Lord shone around them. Can you imagine the fear and concern that they had? The surprise of it all, let alone the fact that the night was as day, and a heavenly host of angels came out of nowhere to tell them something. WOW. What a night. The first thing the angel of the Lord did was to calm their fear. He told them it was good news. God was offering peace on earth, and good will toward men.
Have you ever sat and thought about this story and tried to put yourself in the shoes of the shepherd ? In one night, they went from obscure to being in the very presence of the Glory of God, by the angels that God sent to them. In that moment, they became the avenue that God Almighty chose to reveal his coming to earth. Talk about a place in history! I bet they looked around at the other shepherds to see if they were seeing the same thing that they were. If I were in their shoes, I would have thought I was nuts for a moment. When it started to sink in that they were being approached by the Angel of the Lord, and they saw the Radiant Light that shone around them in the middle of the night, the Bible says that they were frightened. I think that is an understatement. With that kind of presence, you would have nowhere to turn if it were bad news!
But the Everlasting God had a message of hope to give his creation that had been lost to the ravages of sin for millenniums.
The news was simple… The message was clear…. The joy was overwhelming and obvious….
(11) For to you is born this day, in the city of David, a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
(12) And this shall be a sign to you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling-clothes, lying in a manger.
(13) And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
(14) Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will towards men.
I sent my son… He is in Bethlehem… He is Christ the Lord… (Sent from Heaven). You will find him to worship if you go into town and look for a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes (nothing fancy) and lying in a manger. And then the angels could not keep in their praise. Glory to God in the highest , and on earth peace, good will towards men.
I bet any notion that those shepherds felt unimportant vanished forever that night. That moment was life changing. To be the focal point of that announcement forever changed their sense of importance. And the content of the message was so great, that it forever changed the outlook and hope of mankind. A savior, Christ the Lord… My very son…. My greatest treasure… sent to you, for you, to redeem you, and restore you to a relationship with God Almighty. !!! There was no questions left in their mind as to whether there was a God or not. No question of his authority, or agenda either. Any scholar could ask a shepherd what he thought about Christ, and the shepherd’s theology was spot on.
I believe God sent the message in that manner, because all of us find ourselves in the “Shoes of a Shepherd ” at various junctures of our lives. At times we feel lonely, isolated, not respected, feet dirty, lousy job, long days at work… or unfortunate circumstances. But in the middle of it all, God was coming to all of us that night, saying “Do Not Be Afraid”. “I Bring You Good News”. I want you to have great joy…. I want their to be complete reconciliation between us…. Go and see what I sent… Worship him, adore him, but most of all receive him as your Savior…. I sent him from heaven…
God’s Peace to You,
Jeff Dyk
