Wednesday, December 31, 2008 - Luke 2:8-20

They were minding their own business. Those shepherds keeping watch over their flocks by night didn’t ask to get involved. They were a most unlikely group to get an angel serenade. Though Jesus used wonderful stories about shepherds and sheep, for the most part shepherds were not held in high regard. They couldn’t keep the ceremonial law standards and they were not as a whole known for their truthfulness. Yet God chose those outside Bethlehem. Maybe it was because they were unclean and those are the folks Jesus came to love and redeem. Maybe it was because they were most likely the shepherds who tended the flocks that were used in temple sacrifice. There’s some irony in that they would be called to see the one called the “Lamb of God” who would become the ultimate sacrifice.

Whatever the reason, the thing that strikes me is that nobody else in Bethlehem seemed to notice. Wouldn’t you think then an angel band (multitude no less) singing and praising God would have drawn a little more of a crowd? To be sure it might have been some distance from Bethlehem proper, but the shepherds did arrive in time to see the baby in the manger, so it couldn’t have been too far.

Maybe the difference was that the shepherds were in a position to pay attention to the news. Before you roll your eyes at this, think about the times you’ve been in a crowd. There’s plenty of noise but nobody seems to hear anything. Everybody’s lost in their own little world with little awareness of what’s around them.

I wish I wasn’t one of those folks but I often am. I wonder how many angel tunes I’ve missed.

Prayer: Tune my ears & eyes O God to your messages of hope and life. May I be filled with divine music that keeps my heart and soul open to those you love. Amen.

Blessings,
Pastor Ken