Shepherds and the Messiah

<p>The night started just like any other night. A clear, star-lit sky. Sheep sleeping in the field. The shepherds finishing their evening meal around the campfire. Quiet talk about families and the price of wool. But this was no ordinary night.</p><p>.</p><p>An angel of God coming to proclaim the coming of the Messiah, and the heavenly host glorifying and praising God! The shepherds going to Bethlehem to find the newborn Savior after the angels had left. The shepherds seeing the Messiah for the first time. This was no ordinary night.</p><p>.</p><p>Have you ever thought about what these shepherds talked about when they left Bethlehem to return to their sheep? While it’s true the Bible never tells us about their conversation, it would be fun to speculate.</p><p>.</p><p>They may have talked about the prophet Isaiah of long ago. How they remembered his writings: “The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’)” (Isaiah 7:14). And the prophet also said this child who is born this night will be called “Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (9:6).</p><p>.</p><p>The shepherds may have shared their amazement with each other—how they, the outcasts of society, were to witness the fulfillment of prophecy. Prophecy that was first written 400 years ago, seen this very night. They may have talked about the angels singing praises to God, about the young mother, but mostly about the child—the Messiah coming to Bethlehem. God sending His Son as a baby, fully human, fully God. What a wonder, how amazing.</p><p>.</p><p>Perhaps these shepherds didn’t realize they had a part in history. God intervening in human affairs quietly. Not in a big city, but in a small town. Not using government officials or religious leaders, but shepherds. Not in broad daylight, but in the dead of night. Perhaps these shepherds didn’t realize they had a part in God’s history, or perhaps they did. • Doug Velting</p><p>.</p><p>• Read Luke 2:8-20 again, and then take a moment t