Sunday 30 December 2007

Background

The shepherds went with haste - the first Christmas rush! If the'Shepherds Fields' near Bethlehem that are shown to tourists arethe genuine article, then the shepherds would have travelled adistance of some three miles.

'They went with haste and found …' - the verb 'found' in NewTestament Greek means "after a search". There would have been manymangers in Bethlehem and presumably the shepherds had no star toguide them! Did they find what they expected? The child lying inthe manger was certainly there but the angel and the multitude ofthe heavenly host were not to be heard now for this birth was bothuniquely special and entirely ordinary.

But all who heard the shepherds' story were amazed because it rangtrue with all they had already experienced.

The shepherds returned glorifying and praising God and took theplace of the angels in making known all they had seen and heard.They went back to the same old job but in themselves everything wasdifferent.

To Ponder

'Mary treasured all these words and pondered themin her heart.' (v.19) What in all the 'Christmas words' you'veheard during the past few days have caused you to stop and think ina fresh way?

In what ways does God come today? How have youexperienced God in both the special and the ordinary?

As you return to your home or your place of workin the next few days what might be different in the light of thisstory?