Through the Eyes of a Shepherd – Part 1

Dear Friends,

Each year we listen to the story of the first Christmas. It is so familiar that many of us can mouth the words as the liturgists reads, “And there were shepherds living 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 of great joy that will be for all people …‘’ Luke 2:8-10 (NIV)

When you see a nativity scene do you think about the humility and pride of a young Mary, the courage of Joseph, the wonderment of the shepherds, and the awe of the wise men? Or, over the years have the characters in the Christmas story become more symbolic than real to you. Today we encourage you to breathe new life into this season of joy by daring to imagine what it might sound like if you were afforded the opportunity to speak with someone who was actually present at the first Christmas.

Through the Eyes of a Shepherd – Part 1

Let me introduce myself: My name is Jedidiah. I’m not named in the bible, but the name Jedidiah is appropriate because it means ‘God loves’. And truly God loves me because he let me take part in the celebration of the birth of his son.

It all began for me one night in the hills above Bethlehem – out in a field with nothing but the soft glow of a campfire.  It was a clear crisp night. Thousands of stars like diamonds on midnight-blue velvet formed an awe-inspiring canopy. With only a trace of the moon, it was dark, very dark. Then, all of a sudden, the night became like day. A near-blinding flash, and all around us we saw strange beings that glowed like burning phosphorous.

I had heard my rabbi read Scriptures that spoke of angels, but now, I knew I was in the presence of something miraculous.

We shepherds are not easily terrified – we sometimes have to fight off wolves and other predators to protect our flocks of sheep. But, this was truly beyond comprehension.

One of the angels said “Fear Not.”  Then he told us that things the prophets had written about in the Scriptures were about to come to pass;  the promised Messiah was to be born in Bethlehem.

As quickly as they had come, the angels were gone, and my friends and I quickly traveled to Bethlehem to see if we could find the child. (In case you wondered, we took the sheep with us.)

In Bethlehem, we found the place where the newborn baby was. With no place else to lay her child, the mother, a sweet teenage girl named Mary, had arranged some clean straw and laid her baby in a cattle feeding trough – a manger.

Can you believe it – Immanuel – God with us – in such a humble setting?

After we had seen Mary, Joseph, and the baby, we went off and told everyone we met about the wonderful things we had seen.

I like the part where Saint Luke wrote that all who heard the shepherds story were “amazed”. Amazed? Most were incredulous.

Are you familiar with the Yiddish word Mishugena? How about foolish or crazy? how would you feel if someone approached you and said, “My shepherd buddies and I were out in a field when an angel appeared and told us about a baby who was the Messiah – the Savior and King of all Mankind? How would you react?

Fortunately, we weren’t the only ones who shared in the miraculous events surrounding the birth of Jesus. When Jesus was about two years old, Magi, or wise men, came to Judea asking, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.”

I’ll stop my story for now – more next week; but before I end, I encourage you to think about what the Magi said. They said, “We have come to worship him.”

This Christmas we can experience the full joy of the season by setting aside time each day to come to worship Him.

Blessings,
Your Friends in Christ