Advent: The Shepherds

The third candle is the shepherds' candle, representing the joy that more than half of Advent is over.

JOY: back in the days of the First Christmas, shepherds were often ridiculed & looked down upon as uneducated, rough & unsocialized. yet they were somehow chosen to be the first told of Jesus' birth. at first glance, i guess one might wonder why these rough & tumble men would be honored as first recipients of the news of the King's birth. but can you imagine someone with education being informed by a heavenly body that the King had been born in a dirty stable full of animals? would they have believed like the shepherds did? but these lowly men in a field late at night--they were shocked but they also accepted. and as scared as they must have been, they went right away. and when they saw the baby, they knew joy. they were jubilant. they told everyone they saw what happened to them & that they had seen the promised King. would educated men have been so quick to go to the stable? or would they have discussed it for a while first? would they have seen, believed & rejoiced immediately? or would they have needed to study & think, make sure this was what it was claimed to be? maybe in taking too long to examine & ask for facts instead of just accepting & believing, we lose the chance to experience that enormous joy that simple faith would allow us.

i couldn't pick just one Christmas carol about the shepherds, so i picked one verse from several that i felt told the story of the shepherds:

The first Noel the angels did say
Was to certain poor shepherds in fields as
they lay
In fields where they lay keeping their sheep
On a cold winter's
night that was so deep
Noel, noel, noel, noel!
Born is the King of
Israel!
(The First Noel)

Silent night,
holy night
Shepherds quake at the sight
Glories stream from heaven afar
Heav'nly hosts sing Alleluia!
Christ the Savior is born!
Christ the
savior is born!
(Silent Night)

Shepherds why this jubilee?
Why your joyous strains prolong?
What the gladsome tidings be
Which inspire your heavenly song?
Gloria in excelsis Deo!
Gloria in excelsis Deo!
(Angels We Have Heard on High)

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When the angels had left them and gone into heave, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."
So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying i the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told
Luke 2:15-20

"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep...."
John 10:11

another reason for the shepherds as perhaps the foreshadowing the Bible is so famous for? because Jesus Himself was sent to be the Good Shepherd? so rich in symbolism. but for today, i just want to focus on the JOY. the JOY that promises do come true. the JOY that Christmas makes me feel. the JOY that Christmas is growing ever closer. as we wind down the season of preparation, I hope that you find the time to allow yourself to feel this JOY as well.