I never realized shepherds were held in such low regards. I used to work at a hospital. I have great respect for our cleaning crew/sanitizing technicians. Merry Christmas, Holy Christmas ❤️🙏❤️

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Michael Sprague• Following

4h • Edited • 4 hours ago

THE SHEPHERDS AT CHRISTMAS

Have you ever stopped to think about how outrageous it was for shepherds to be in that first Christmas story. Angels showing up to the night shift crew. Really? You would think angels would come to the religious hierarchy or to VIP’s. Shepherds?

We tend to think of shepherds as 35-year-old dads who can grow a beard for the church Christmas play. Shepherds in first century Israel, were by-and-large at the bottom of the social scale, often despised and thought of as thieves. They were not allowed to testify in court. It was presumed they would lie. Yet in Luke 2:10-12 the angel tells shepherds in the fields, “Do not be afraid. I give you good news of a great joy which shall be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born to you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign for you; you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

At women’s conferences, author Steve Brown illustrates how outrageous it was for God’s messengers to meet with shepherds. He says, “Imagine it is one minute to midnight. Stella and her cleaning crew at the hospital are getting ready to put out their cigarettes, fill their buckets with hot, soapy water, and mop the corridors. Their hearts and minds are full of worries… Each of the women face private struggles that seem bigger than themselves. Suddenly a loud noise comes from the end of the corridor. They grab their mops, hurry to the end of the hallway, and open the door. There stands the most glorious sight Stella has ever seen… saying, ‘Stella, to you is born this day a Savior… to you, with your PMS and your varicose veins and your bag of worries, to you is born a Savior!’”

Steve’s telling of the story in a modern context helps us realize how glorious yet unexpected was the real encounter with the shepherds. God chose everyday people… even those who were rough around the edges. Jesus was indeed a rescuer.

These were shepherds in Bethlehem. This is where significant numbers of temple lambs were kept, destined for the sacrificial altars of Jerusalem, just a couple of miles away. These were “slaughter sheep.” Lots of these shepherds in this area were raising perfect lambs to be offered up acceptable for sacrifice. Christmas night there was a tiny little lamb born in Bethlehem who was destined for Calvary’s altar. Are we preaching yet? Are you tracking with me?

These sleepy shepherds with their woolly flocks were roused awake by the brilliance of the glory of God and a great company of angels, beyond count. Imagine the unrestrained joy of the angels saying, “Glory to God in the Highest, Peace on Earth.” Imagine the shepherds running and leaping as they went to find the baby. Imagine the amazement and bewilderment as their eyes saw the little lamb in the cattle trough. A baby had come for those who worked the night shift and for you and me.

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