Lessons from the Shepherds

I’ve been thinking about the shepherds in the Christmas story. Usually, we focus on the main characters…Mary, Joseph, the angel and the baby Jesus. But, the shepherds were a pretty important part too. How did the story come down for 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 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." Luke 2:8-12

So, the shepherds were just out in the fields doing their job. They were on the night shift, most likely tending to the sheep outside Bethlehem. Their job was to guard the sheep from human and animal predators. They might go for nights without any issues at all, but still, they needed to be awake and ready for anything to happen.

But this one night.... the shepherds must have stopped dead in their tracks. All at once a brilliant light nearly blinded their eyes! This was unlike anything they’d ever seen! Can you picture their big eyes staring at the light, wondering what was going on? They immediately were terrified. (This is where I bet you and I would be feeling the same thing!)  Then, the angel left. Wow. I can only imagine the shepherds looking a bit dazed..... "Did you just hear I what I heard and see what I saw?" Then, in Luke 2:15-16 we find the shepherds making plans "Let us go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about." So they hurried off straight from work to go visit the baby Jesus.

The shepherds were just everyday normal people with no special credentials. Yet, they were were invited to participate in the most extraordinary event on earth, the birth of Jesus. And, they responded and acted on what they heard. They went quickly to see the baby Jesus.

Let’s not miss this simple lesson from the shepherds. The shepherds could have all sorts of excuses…What if we leave the sheep unattended? What if something happens to the sheep and we’ll be blamed? What if our boss found out we had left the sheep? What if others make fun of us for going? What if we were mistaken about what we heard? It’s easy to second-guess the voice of God.  

We can learn from the shepherds in our own lives. How do you respond to God? Are you content to keep God at arm’s distance for another year? Will you come to Him or run in a hundred different directions?  Learn from the shepherds who dropped everything to follow God. Dare to act and respond to the Christmas message. This message can rock your world too.

"The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told." Luke 2:20

Nancy Abbott is the Chaplain for the YMCA of Greater San Antonio.