A Shepherd's Cogititations

Antonia Chatson | Dec 16, 2010

This is my contemplative time. I always take a wee time in the late evening just to sit and think on the day’s happenings and about life. Mind you, I’m going to have to cut short my musings tonight for soon we will have to get moving to follow the star to where we will find our "glad tidings" wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger. But I’m getting ahead of myself. Let me back track a bit and explain it all so that you will know just what I am gabbling about.

You see, being shepherds, we have a lot of time on our hands to be observant. Now I’m not saying that tending sheep is a highly paid job that requires little work input. Far from it. Let's reverse that and say that tending sheep takes a lot of time and pays very little! But then times are hard, businesses all over are depressed and with layoffs everywhere, you have to be glad of a job of any kind. Not a day goes by here that some young fella who has been laid off in the towns doesn’t call in, asking if we have yet another opening for a shepherd. We’ve taken pity on so many of them that it’s getting close to an even ratio of sheep to shepherds!

For example, take our nearby town of Bethlehem. The only people there who are doing a roaring business are the tax collectors, and well, they’re all foreigners or hired by them. And one dare not say a word against them. They don’t like that. But what do they expect if they’re an occupying force - laurels and roses thrown at their feet?

Well, as I was saying, the job situation in Bethlehem is not good. It’s especially hard on the middle-aged and the young. The former are too highly trained, too old and too set in their ways and the young are far too educated but without experience. But how do you get experience if no one will hire you? So I guess you’re okay if you’re between the ages of 30 and 35. That’s not entirely true, either, for a good friend of mine, Josech, who just turned 34, was fired just the other day. Ach, what does it matter how old you are if you’re out of work? But it’s big time depression when the big inn at Bethlehem starts laying off people. They used to have a staff of 33 but they laid off 10 the other day, but I did hear they will have to re-hire some of them back temporarily, just while the census is on, cause of the influx of travelers from all over Palestine.

My, I am rambling. What I started on earlier was my musings about sheep. You know, watching them, you can’t help but compare sheep to people – herded and huddled together and helpless without the strong voice of the master to lead them in the right direction out of harm’s way and the master’s strong hand to rescue them from pitfalls along the way. Come to think of it, my musings are not too original. Guess King David felt the same comparison was applicable. You know, you can’t chase sheep, but they can be led. That’s a good thing, because if you pursue the analogy to say that God is the shepherd, He doesn’t want anybody to be chased into His arms, He wants them to come willingly into them, just as our sheep are willing to follow us wherever we lead them. And sheep need good pastures and good water and we, as shepherds take them there. Just like God wanting to provide us with good food for our souls, which is His Word, and with springs of living water, which is also through His Word, for the edification of the soul-like. But I don’t need to report any further on this for all you have to do is to read the Twenty-third Psalm and that says it all.

Well, I’d best be moving on or I’ll miss our seeing that wee babe, the Saviour of mankind. And this is where the really exciting part begins. You see, we had all been watching this fantastic meteor that had appeared in the sky about a week ago and had gradually been coming closer. Bright! Almost as bright at night as it is during the day these last few nights.

Well, it was just after supper and we were all talking about it and wondering if it could get any brighter or any closer when the sky lit up even more. Kinda frightening. We left the dishes we were washing and huddled together – a bit like the sheep that needed safety in numbers. All of a sudden this bright, bright being appeared at a distance and sorta floated closer to us. As he got closer he got bigger. Good thing we weren’t still washing the dishes, for of one accord we all fell flat on our faces. The light was so brilliant we could not face it, but I don’t think it was the worry about our eyesight that felled us to the ground. We were all plumb petrified. I mean, I guess we’d all dreamed at one time or another about seeing an angel but when one did appear in from of our very eyes, we didn’t even have enough wits about us to have a good look at him.

His first words were, “Fear not,” and after a pause we carefully raised an eyebrow to take a closer squint at him, as he continued to talk and to bring us the good news. We slowly raised our heads and had a closer look at God’s messenger in all of his glory. Fair took one’s breath away.

“Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people. Today in the town of David, a Saviour has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find the baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

We had just gotten our eyes accustomed to the glare of glory when the whole heaves lit up and it seemed to be full of angels praising God and singing, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom His favour rests.” At that, we ducked for cover again and only dared to raise our heads as the glorious singing and light retreated.

To say we were all rather stunned when we looked at each other would have been the understatement of the year, but there was no question in any of our minds that we would hie us hither to see that baby as soon as we had collected our thoughts.

“What shall we bring Him?” we queried each other and it was only when Cosam suggested a lamb – all babies love lambs – did we know that it was quite the right thing to take Him.

Oh, oh, I hear a sudden bustling. They must be ready to leave and I don’t want to be left out on a chance of a lifetime on a night to remember.