To the Shepherds
Advent is a fun time of year, I think.
We see people beginning to celebrate, beginning to prepare for Christmas, in a million different ways. Some start sooner than others, and some wait until the last minute.
Growing up there were definitely years when we put the decorations up and began Advent devotionals the day after Thanksgiving, and also years when it was the week of Christmas, and the most we had done was buy gifts that were still hidden away under beds and in closets.
But during Advent, while we put up decorations, and buy gifts, and ultimately—hopefully and most importantly—while we await the arrival of the Savior, we are given a special charge.
It’s the same job that the shepherds received the night of Christ’s birth: to take a message and give it to people.
Growing up I heard a lot about the shepherds who guarded their sheep the night the angels appeared to them. Who they could have been, what their lives might have been like, what they might have felt that night.
I heard about how they went through the town telling everybody who would listen that the Savior was born. That they went and worshipped the newborn Savior. That people were amazed at their message and their experience with the Christ.
But too often we skip over the most important part: what their job was.
At its core, shepherding is taking care of animals. Shepherds don’t get nights off. They don’t go inside when the storms come. They don’t get a sick day off from work. They have to be with their animals, caring for them, feeding them, protecting them, 24/7.
It’s a hard and grueling job, that even now most people don’t realize is so hard.
And we see the theme of shepherds come up over and over again in Scripture: Abraham, Moses and David were all shepherds. Jesus, Himself, is described as a shepherd, and He even refers to Himself as the Good Shepherd. The writers of the New Testament call church leaders and pastors shepherds, comparing their jobs to actual shepherds taking care of animals.
So that night, it was only fitting that the people entrusted with the message were these shepherds, laying out in a field with their sheep.
God, from the beginning, has been reminding us that leadership, that true and good leadership, is not imposing our will on others, but rather leading and guiding and taking care of those around us.
God reminds us that the birth of Jesus was not going to be a political rule, or a military dictatorship.
God reminds us that Jesus was going to be like these shepherds: laying down with His sheep, taking care of His sheep, protecting His sheep, and making sure they were going to be well taken care of after His death, no matter how hard things got.
By giving the message of the birth of Christ to the shepherds, God gives us a glimpse of what Jesus will be like:
“I am the good shepherd. I know my own, and my own know me, just as the Father knows me, and I know the Father. I lay down my life for the sheep.
John 10:14-15
A shepherd, laying down His life for His sheep. Serving them and loving them, even to the point of death.
The message of Christmas was given to the shepherds, so as we close in on Christmas, let’s be intentional about being shepherds.
We have been given this message—this gift—and just like the shepherds, let’s make sure that we take care of this message, that we spread this message, and that we come to the feet of Jesus to celebrate the message.
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