The shepherds would never have dreamed they would be a part of the miraculous birth. And yet, they were...a significant part.
Luke 2:13-14 tells us “13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
Imagine yourself a shepherd in the fields...it is night and you are tending your sheep. There is safety in numbers so several of you stand guard around the flock to keep the predators at bay...or perhaps you are rounding them up to put them in a makeshift corral for the night but still you stand guard. The evening is quiet, the stars are bright. Perhaps you've noticed the one star that seems to stand out...it seems so close...just above you.
An angel appears to call attention to the star and to explain it's meaning. This would have been a most terrifying sight! Close your eyes and imagine...a bright angel, floating above the earth and speaking directly to you! After his message, you are sure to think that nothing could top that! But then...a great company of the heavenly host appears...don't know about you but to me, a great company means a lot of angels and they are praising God! If you weren't already kneeling with your face to the ground because of the first angel, I suspect you would be now! How bright, how LOUD, how joyous it must
have been! It had to be one of those moments that make the hair stand on the back of your neck.
The Bible tells us the shepherds then made their way to see the Child. And to spread the Word...they had to spread the Word...they must have felt compelled. And all who heard it marveled (which means “to cause wonder or astonishment”)! Are you approaching the Birth of the Child with joy? Do you marvel at God's love for us? Do you feel wonder, or are you astonished? We are 2,000+ years removed from the event, but it's power over us is no less than it was then. Let us be the shepherds of our time and spread the marvelous Word.
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