WHO WOULD YOU BE?

If you could be any character in the Christmas story, to witness the first nativity first hand, what character would you want to be and why?  That was the question we recently posed at a Christmas party with our church life group. Answers we heard – wise men, Joseph, the inn keeper, even animals in the stable. No one said Mary.  But the most popular answer – a shepherd.

Why a shepherd? Because they got to see the angels, first one angel and then the multitude. I remember what a child said once when asked how many angels did the shepherds see.  He thought for a second, his eyes popped open, his arms spread wide and he said, “like, all of them!”. After the angels, the shepherds went into the city, found the stable, and saw Jesus.

I can imagine Mary and Joseph huddled in the stable with a baby only minutes old – they were happy yet very confuse. Then smelly and curious shepherds show up looking for a baby, the Messiah they say. The Bible says they shared the story of the angels, maybe first to Mary and Joseph. “We saw this angel. He said we could find the Messiah here, in the feed trough.”

Joseph, remembering he too saw an angel, looks at Jesus wrapped up and in the feed trough and says “you saw an angel?” The shepherd says, “No, not AN angel (pause for dramatic effect), like, all of them!”. Then (we assume) they went around town and told everyone the story – Angels, Savior, Messiah, Baby in the feed trough, right over there!  

No doubt about it, I want to be a shepherd to experience the original nativity.

The thought prompts me to reflect. As believers, we are called to the experience of the shepherds every day. The wonder and splendor of God is something we experience in our lives daily, and sometimes fear,  just like the angels' appearance. But the Savior is here. His Spirit lives within us. When we look for Him, we find Him. Finally, we are called to spread the message, just like the shepherds did. For unto us a Child is Born!