Luke 2:8

Posted by DJL on Dec 20, 2012 in Advent Devotions | 0 comments

In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night.

Of all the characters in the Christmas story, I suspect it’s the shepherds we have most misunderstood. I don’t know if it’s all the cute kids who have worn their dad’s bathrobes in Christmas pageants over the years or our cultural inclination to assume that anyone that works with animals must be nice, but we have greatly romanticized them in our Christmas celebrations.

By and large, shepherds were shepherds not because they loved animals or hoped for a career in ranching, but because they couldn’t keep or get any other kind of work. The ancient world was not romantic about animals and this was particularly true of sheep. They were considered dirty, stubborn, even stupid creatures and it was more or less assumed that those who cared for them shared those attributes.

Shepherds, that is, were pretty much at the bottom of the socio-economic ladder in their world and if you met their twenty-first century equivalent, you’d probably turn right around and hurry the other way.

Should we really be surprised, then, that these are the first people who will hear the message of God’s redemption? Across Luke’s Gospel one of the dominant themes is that God comes for those who are on the outside – those who are poor, vulnerable, and of no account in the world.

Why? Perhaps because they are the ones predisposed to listen and rejoice. Angels could have visited Herod or Augustus or Quirinius or any of the other powerful characters that have made their cameo appearances in Luke’s story. But why would they rejoice at the announcement of a king? (Indeed, as Matthew portrays so vividly, such an announcement strikes fear into their hearts.) What need have they of God’s redemption when, to all outward appearances, they themselves were like gods?

No, the angels come and sing their news to those for whom it meant something. Outcasts, ne’er-do-wells, the lonely, poor, and lowly – unwed teenage mothers and loser shepherds and all the rest – all, that is, who are in need. For, ultimately, the only requirement to receive God’s love is to need it.

Prayer: Dear God, remind us of our need, of your love, and of all those with whom we are united by being in need and by being loved by you. In Jesus’ name, Amen.