SHEPHERDS

Luke 2:8-11 – And in that vicinity there were SHEPHERDS living [out under the open sky] in the field, watching [in shifts] over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood by them, and the glory of the Lord flashed and shone all about them, and they were terribly frightened. But the angel said to them, Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which will come to all the people. For to you is born this day in the town of David a Savior, Who is Christ (the Messiah) the Lord!

I just love these guys! These were the minimum wage, average Joe workers of Jesus’ day. I used to admire their lifestyle when I would read of their job description. Living outside, taking care of sheep (yes, I’m an animal lover), no one to answer to, the adventure of the wide open prairie. Maybe my imagination has been a little too Hollywood-ized. Upon further research I found that the shepherds were the lowest on the totem pole, the least of the community. They often had to fight off lions, wolves, and other wild animals to protect their flock. Scorching sun during the day and frigid temperatures at night.

Yet despite their lowly station in life, God chose to send an angel with a First Class birth announcement to a group of shepherds. The shepherds, in fact, beat the wise men to the scene. If you haven’t noticed by now, God loves to turn the tables; the first becoming the last and the last becoming first sort of turning. The lowest and least on the economic ladder were first to see the Messiah. And let’s not forget that it was a 14 year old peasant girl who was chosen to bring the Messiah into this world. And a scandalous, second class citizen woman named Mary Magdalene was the first to speak to Jesus after he was raised from the dead.

Whatever your station in life, your gender, economic situation or race, Christ Jesus, the Alpha and the Omega, wants an audience with YOU! This band of shepherds were in the middle of their shift on just another average workday when an angel appeared with a message. This angel didn’t demand that they come see Jesus or zap them there against their will. In verse 15 the shepherds “said to one another, let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.” God sent a message and his people responded.

This is my message to you today. You may never see a Heavenly host of angels with flashing swords, but God still sends messages your way every day. If you own a Bible then you are already in possession of the very voice of God. Every morning while I’m packing my kids’ lunches for school I look out my kitchen window to see the hand of God painting a sunrise in the sky just for me. Each day He beckons us to come see a new thing, something He wants made known, Jesus Christ His Son.