8 And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. 10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and 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 among those with whom he is pleased!” Luke 2:8-14 ESV
Have you ever stopped to think about the shepherd’s song? The low hum of sheep mixed with the gentle calling of the shepherd to bring them all home again. The lives of the shepherd are lonely, isolated and centered on caring for sheep.
Have you ever considered how and why the shepherds were included in the story of the birth of Jesus? What is the significance of a group of solitary shepherds to the birth of our Lord?
My church has just completed a short series on Christmas: Behind the Scenes – a look at Christmas from the perspective of people who had a “behind the scenes” look at the arrival of Jesus. The first focus group were the shepherds who were an unimpressive people with dirty, lowly jobs. Yet God sent His angels to the shepherds to announce the good news of Jesus’ birth. The message that was sent on this day was that God will choose the least likely people to carry His message to join in a relationship with Him. When God chose the shepherds to be present and celebrate the birth of Jesus, He set a precedent of choosing the ordinary to share in His extraordinary-people like you and I.
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Our Lord is certainly an around-and-about encourager. The poor people are sometimes lifted up highly through the Lord and through the angels. The “higher” people are checked out and encouraged or placed with a way to focus on the Lord instead of their money, property, houses, clothes that are all lovely. I’m a “watcher” on a regular portion of life. And trusting my dear Father to tap me and remind me to go the right direction that He’s indicated. Thanks for sharing!
I share your job of watching but am ready for God to call loudly and for me to take that step out of my comfort zone. Blessed you are here and thank you for your encouraging words. Have a beautiful week.
Hi Mary! I just wrote a blog post about how amazing those shepherds were, I think I would be scared to death! All of the sudden there are angels singing, bathed in light, in the sky? Yikes!!
But of course, God knew what he was doing. He gave them the grace to be humbled and follow to the Lord’s crib. That’s a miracle right there!
Advent blessings,
Ceil
So many miracles that unfolded on that Christmas night so long ago and so many that unfold in our daily lives. May we always choose to say “yes” as the shepherds did and see what amazing things God has in store for us. Blessings!
When God chose the shepherds to be present and celebrate the birth of Jesus, He set a precedent of choosing the ordinary to share in His extraordinary-people like you and I.
So awesome our God!
Yes He is and His intentionality in all He does is preordained. Blessed you stopped by! Have a beautiful week!
hi mary,
i see our minds were moving on the same tracks when we were writing earlier today:) i enjoyed your post. very helpful.
thank you for your encouragement and for stopping by. I pray we may all feel like the shepherds and answer God’s call whenever it comes. Have a blessed week!
Oh! You are so right. I learned recently for the first time that these shepherds were the same one responsible for the “temple” sheep……..sheep appointed for atonement. Now I see why they were the first given the good news. The lamp of God who took away the sins of the world was born. Coming to you from Sunday stillness,..God bless Chris~
Blessed you stopped by Chris. Thank you for sharing your tidbit about the shepherds. Have a blessed week.