The night Jesus was born shepherds were at work, watching over their flocks, when the glory of the Lord shone around them. The King James Version says they were sore afraid. We might say scared out of their freakin’ minds.

But the angel calmed them: Fear not; for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which will be for all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.

Then the skies opened, and a huge host of angels appeared and praised God. For how long we don’t know, but eventually darkness returned. The shepherds wasted no time in hustling down the hill to Bethlehem, where they found Mary and Joseph and Jesus.

The shepherds praised the Lord, marveled at their good fortune and told everyone they could about Jesus and their heavenly visitors.

Why should we be envious of the shepherds? Because they saw Jesus first. Theirs were the first lives changed by Jesus stepping into this world.

Shepherds were ordinary guys, blue collar, not learned or wealthy. Plain folk in our eyes, yet God picked them to meet Jesus first. There are no plain folk in the eyes of the Lord. Which bodes well for you and me, especially when we feel unimportant or overlooked or lost in the grand scheme of the world around us.

Merry Christmas to you, and may the angelic blessing to the shepherds ring true for all of us this Christmas:

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

Luke 2 in reading the Bible in 2023

Photo by Jaka Škrlep