It started out as just a normal night. I was up on the hills above Bethlehem, watching over the sheep. They can be daft, sheep. Get themselves into no end of trouble if you don’t keep an eye on them. People don’t think much of us shepherds, but it can be a tough, dangerous job. It’s no wonder to me that King David was a shepherd as a boy- if you can face down a wild predator that wants your sheep, you can fight even the toughest of Israel’s enemies.
Anyway, there we were when suddenly the night sky was lit up with...well, it's hard to describe them. We were so terrified we hardly dared to look. But that didn’t stop us hearing them. “Don’t be afraid,” they said. They weren’t here to harm us, but to bring joy and a message. In Bethlehem, David’s town, a baby had been born and he was the long-awaited Messiah- the one who would make things right between Israel and our God, the one who would lead us into a better future.
Well, that was quite some news. We believed them, of course. How could you not, when a choir of shining beings appeared singing “Glory to God” and “peace on earth”? And when they’d gone we left our flocks to get into whatever trouble they liked and headed off into town to look for this baby. Lying in a manger, the angels had said. In a humble house, born to parents who seemed, well, ordinary. Like me. If it hadn’t been for the angels I’d never have guessed that this baby was going to grow up to be the great Shepherd of his people. But I couldn't doubt it. It was a night I will never forget.
The shepherds' story is in Luke chapter 2.
I've written about shepherds before so instead of repeating myself, have some pictures of what sheep get up to when the shepherds aren't looking!
Merry sheep-mas!
