Devotional 12-26-08

Scripture: Luke 2: 8-20

The Old Testament contains numerous references to shepherds, the kind who tended sheep and those who "tended" people. Though there are plenty of reports of shepherds who unfaithfully carried out their duties, those who answered God's call and were exemplary leaders, guiding people in their faith and actions, represented God's love for his people. Moses was one of these shepherds, leading the Hebrew people on an extraordinarily important and difficult journey unlike any other. His faith and love for God and his people made him an excellent choice as a shepherd.

With the important roles that shepherds played at various times and places in the Old Testament, it occurred to me how fitting it was that God chose a group of shepherds tending flocks near the town of Bethlehem to be the first people to meet his son, who later described himself as the "good shepherd" but who also died as a sacrificial lamb to save his "sheep."

The shepherds in Luke's account of Jesus' birth demonstrated qualities which we should seek to emulate. Despite their fear upon being visited first by one angel and then by many in an unbelievable display of God's glory, they exhibited faith in the words of God spoken by those angels, trust in God to lead them where he intended them to go, and action by not only going, but "with haste" to seek the newborn child. Their faith, trust and action were rewarded by finding Jesus and his parents just where and how they had been told. Meeting this ordinary-seeming family was clearly an overwhelmingly extraordinary experience for them. There was no doubt these people were a part of something life-changing, world-changing.

What was the shepherds' response to this unforgettable experience? Gratitude, joy, and action. They praised God unashamedly and in fact became the first evangelists, bringing the good news of Jesus to all who would listen. The shepherds' story teaches us that God calls all of us to listen, trust and to bear witness to the presence of him in our lives and in the world. While we don't always see it or believe it, he has uniquely equipped each of us to play a role, be it large or small, in his ministry here on earth-- to help shepherd others, if you will. What better time to earnestly begin listening for how and where God would have us be shepherds than now in response to our experiencing yet again the wonder of our savior’s birth. "Go tell it on the mountain, over the hills and everywhere; go tell it on the mountain that Jesus Christ is born." Amen.

Mary Taylor