| Luke 2: 8-21 |
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The Shepherds and the Angels
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, 15 When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. 17 And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. 18 And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them. 21 And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb. |
Would you believe it?
We perhaps have a rather romantic or nostalgic view of the shepherds in the Christmas story. Who can resist a small child with a tea towel wrapped round his head holding a stuffed sheep as tightly as possible perhaps ready to deliver a line or react to an angel or three?
The reality was of course somewhat different. Shepherds were hired men; rough, coarse and certainly as far as good middle class Jews were concerned, not to be trusted and certainly not to be believed. As far as their religion went the shepherds were classed as unclean. They never visited the temple - after all sheep needed looking after 24:7.
So, to a group of rather coarse, working class men who didn’t have much time for religion, heaven reveals its very best news using its very best choir. Perhaps little wonder the shepherds were convinced and took the risk of leaving the sheep, their livelihood and became perhaps the first disciples ready to share God’s great news.
I don’t know how these men approached the townspeople of Bethlehem with the good news. They didn’t have any tracts to hand out, or a service to invite people to, so they must simply have said “We have seen the Messiah and heard God‘s wonderful message of good news.” Something in what they said and how they said it amazed people and perhaps convinced a few as well. These men went back to their sheep, the day job, changed men and no doubt their fireside chats over the weeks ahead were radically different as they praised God. Perhaps the shepherds’ male voice choir was heard echoing around the hills above Bethlehem.
David and Margaret