We Are All Shepherds
22 December 2009 | By Sonja in Editorials, Sonja, Uncategorized
Before Google Maps or navigation systems, there were shepherds and there were stars.
In the Old World, shepherds knew the sky and the terrain like a well-worn map. They were quite different from farmers of the time, who had the means to at least own land or to buy livestock. Shepherds survived on meager wages earned by watching the flocks of others. Even so, they were well-travelled and moved from pasture to pasture, hillside to hillside. If there ever was a change in the sky, or a happening on the horizon, shepherds often would have been the first to see it, and likely the first to tell of it.
There has always been great poetry in the way Heavenly Father sent word of the Savior’s birth, dispatching a beautiful chorus of angels to proclaim it to lowly shepherds. There was also a message in this method. By breaking the news on the hillsides above Bethlehem where only shepherds dwelt, those shepherds would be the ones to have the privilege of announcing to many that the greatest shepherd of all had been born into the world.
Turning the pages of the well-read passages in Luke, it is also meaningful to note that the story of Christ’s birth is as much about what happened to shepherds that night, as what happened in the manger:
“And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And lo the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them “Fear not: for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,
“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.”
And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.
And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. And the shepherds returned glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.
How marvelous to contemplate what it might have been like to see or hear of this greatest event in history. Almost nothing we know of or have read since compares. The scriptures give hints as to what the Second Coming of Christ might be like, and it is remarkable to try to imagine that. Yet nothing in the history of the world compares with the simplicity and humility of the events surrounding the birth of Jesus Christ.
Today, two thousand years later, students gather to study the histories of the world in Jerusalem. As part of their studies, students are sometimes taken to what is now known as “Shepherd’s Hill,” believed to be the site where angels appeared at the birth of Christ. On one occasion, students there were ushered to the hillside overlooking Bethlehem. They were surprised to find that it wasn’t at all what they expected. Instead of a lovely, grassy, welcoming hillside like one might expect in a painting or impression of that night, it was a dry, desert-like hill, rough and terraced, covered with rocks and even thorny bushes.
Still, all of the students sat down, pulled out their journals and were encouraged to write as they looked over the historic horizon and pondered the events that happened there. In addition to the quiet of this sacred site, they had been assured that they would be able to see shepherds on Shepherds Hill. Indeed, after just a few minutes poor little shepherd boys appeared and came towards them, their palms turned upward in hopes of receiving something from the tourists. Even in modern times, the shepherd boys were dressed in rags.
One student wrote:
“A shepherd boy came towards me. He was carrying a little lamb draped around his neck. He, like the other boys, hoped we would give them money or treats. He asked if I would like to hold the little sheep. As I took the warm baby lamb in my arms, I began to feel the spirit of the shepherds in a way I had never done before. Unlike Wise Men who came to see the Christ child bearing gifts, these humble, solitary shepherds had nothing to give except their devotion and their faith in the wondrous words they had heard.
“Just as shepherds stand watch while waiting for the darkness to pass, the Savior was born to stand watch through long, dark, nights with us, despite the terrors and sometimes the hardships that this life can bring.
“He knows us, his sheep. He is our shepherd.”
Those who truly reverence the life of Jesus Christ also understand that we are all shepherds. In our homes, our churches, our communities we are all part of sacred flocks who need direction, protection, and love.
It is the beauty of the Gospel of Jesus Christ that we are here to serve one another.
And so, we watch over those in need, those who anguish. We provide a shoulder or a hand, or a round of applause when someone in the flock has a great victory. We share the Sacrament with one another in our services. We struggle to rise to new callings because even while we are learning, our service is important to someone. Sometimes all we can do to show our love for the Savior and each other is to add our voices to a hymn and sing praises to God.
Still, every time we set down a casserole at someone’s doorstep, or put a child in our lap, aid a wayward teenager, teach a class, present a merit badge, or bestow an award on a young woman who might not have received it without us …
Surely, angels are singing somewhere.
There is only one headline, one directive that we have received in the last two thousand years that surpasses all others, and which if followed, would help us to rule the world: “Glory to God in the highest, Peace on Earth, Goodwill to Men.”
If, as mortals, we could follow those messages and keep our sites set singly upon the glory of God, work for peace on earth, and extend goodwill to all men, all would be well. At this Christmastime, may we find ways to re-dedicate ourselves to these simplest and most important of missions.
We are so blessed to know of, and to have a shepherd that we can trust.
Let us follow him.
“While shepherds careful vigil kept o’er lambs in fields of green.
The sky took on a brilliant glow and lit the grassy scene.
In dread they looked upon the star that rose anew that night.
Then angels came to calm their fears and tell of the heavenly light.
In word and song they shared the news of the babe who was their king.
They sang of peace and love and joy, and the good will he would bring.
The keepers of the flocks arose and followed the heavenly beam,
But not to gleaming palace walls as it would surely seem.
It led them to an earthen stall where cattle and goats were kept.
And in the manger soft and warm, the little Jesus slept.
Tears filled up their tired eyes and ran down wind burned cheeks.
They had found the promised one, for whom the world still seeks.
Though they were watchers of the flocks, tenders of lamb and ewe,
He was the keeper of God’s flock, HE was the shepherd true.”
— Sally Meyer
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Merry Christmas.
Posted in Editorials, Sonja, Uncategorized | 1 Comment » | 
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23 December 2009 | Calvin Said:
What a wonderful Christmas message! Thank you!