Advent - The Faith of the Shepherds

 

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.  An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.  But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.  Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

Shepherding in the fields by night, what could be better? I’m sure there is a large list of more exciting jobs. It gives counting sheep to fall asleep a new meaning. It was lonely, smelly, and dirty work. You won’t become the Temple Gazette’s “Person of the Year” doing that. But shepherds were the Steady Eddies of Jewish society. They worked hard, day after day. They were dependable and solid folk. So imagine keeping sheep outside of Bethlehem, minding your own business, and Poof! there appears an angel. And not just any angel, but one of the full on “glory shone around him” kind. I would be terrified too. They probably would never be called the smartest man in the room, yet they must have at least been educated about the Messiah. So the angel gives them the message of good news. At this point they were probably doubting their sanity. And then comes the big finish.

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

 If they thought they were doubting before, I’m sure the angel choir help them to realize this wasn’t just a hallucination. When all was finished they were all in.

 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.

They thought it was so important that they left the sheep (hey they were sleeping anyway) and searched for the Messiah. I doubt there was a sign outside. It may have taken them hours to find Him. Still they continued until they came to the manger. Once they had seen the Messiah with their own eyes, did they say, “Oh ya, we better go check on the sheep”.  No, they found it so important that they went throughout the city of Bethlehem telling everyone they met about who they found. I’m sure they went back to their sheep eventually, but the coming of the Messiah, the Savior, filled their thoughts. Did others come and see? We’re not really told. But the lowly shepherds know what was important. Are you excited about the Savior? Do you share His “Good News” with others? I hope so. Don’t let they shepherds be the only ones.