Joyous Christmas!

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 round about them: and they were sore afraid.

10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

12 And this shall be a sign unto 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 toward men.

15 And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto 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.

20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.

( Luke 2 )

There were other preparations, if you were in the right place to witness them.  The angel Gabriel came to Mary, and she was filled with the spirit of prophecy.  The same angel had come to Zecharias and told him that his wife, long barren, would bear a son whose calling would be to turn the hearts of many in preparation for their redemption (Luke 1)  When John was born, he was filled also, and raised up a voice of vision and glory.  (It's a long chapter!) Every one of them, Mary, Elizabeth, Zecharias, was filled with the Spirit of God and raised a voice of witness and promise.  All the prophecies of centuries were to come to fruition.

 
Of all the ways to announce the birth of the Son of God, it wasn't so strange that the angels would come to shepherds rather than rulers.  "He hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.  He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree," Mary said to her cousin Elizabeth.  Neither child was born yet, John nor Jesus, but the promises were singing out.

The faith, the awe, of the shepherds doing their ordinary guardian work, out with their flock overnight. Let the wonder of those shepherds linger in your imagining.  King David had been a shepherd boy when he was called.  Christ, the prophesied heir to the throne of David, would talk of himself as the Good Shepherd, and use the images of that familiar and simple life many times in teaching the message he brought.  He had come to gather us into his eternal fold.

Who would they come to today?  These shepherds had no wealth or position to advance this king, but they were chosen to celebrate his birth with opened hearts and eyes, representing us all.  Do we believe?

I wonder if some of them heard of this teacher, many long years later, who did miracles.  He didn’t remain where they lived, he didn’t grow up in their sight, after all.  Did they hear, and their hearts prick with memory, and did they come to see, and follow him?

He calls us to follow still.

Newborn King

A humble shepherd’s simple faith—

To hear the song of angels

And heed the call to come,

To recognize earth’s greatest king

Within a stable cave.

Gazing at animals and poverty,

He sees eternal grace.

He kneels to watch the infant hands

In reflex spread and curl.

One day they’ll bless the loaves and fish,

Touch sight back to the blind.

As tiny fingers clutch his own,

His heart sees fingers growing, grown—

Messiah’s hands

Stretched forth to heal the world.

                       

--Marian J. Stoddard