Shepherds (Advent Week 3)

The life of a shepherd in the first century was humble but it was not easy. Not many people wanted to do the job. It was hands-on while weathering the extremes of nature as you constantly herd, feed, and care for meandering flocks of sheep; it was exhausting! Imagine the interruption, the shock, and the JOY experienced by the shepherds on the night baby Jesus was born. The angel appeared in the dark of night to proclaim the Light of the World - the MESSIAH - had finally been born!

This was not news for lowly shepherds; it was news for royalty, for world leaders, for highest levels of importance on the social ladder! But this is not how God sees the world. This is not the ethic of the Kingdom of heaven and it is not the way God chooses to work in the world.

On the night Jesus was born, would you have wanted to be a shepherd or a King?