From Rich Dixon

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I always enjoy Jon’s way of drawing us into Bible stories.

Have you ever wondered what the shepherds thought? Here they were, tending their sheep, minding their own business, and suddenly a bunch of angels show up. Had to be a bit disconcerting.

These guys were the lowest of the low in the social system. They were, let’s be honest, kind of dirty and smelly. The last people angels ought to be talking to.

And the message? They were supposed to go into Bethlehem and find God’s son.

Be honest. Suppose you were out for an evening stroll, and you received that vision. How would you respond? Would you immediately book a flight to Bethlehem?

Shepherds probably weren’t even welcome in town, but they went anyway. And they found exactly the scene the angels described. Mother and father and brand-new baby boy among animals in a stable.

God’s son?

Scripture says they spread the word about what they had seen, but let’s face it – how many people listened to a bunch of crazy shepherds? Most likely, they headed back to their sheep and talked among themselves about whether what just happened had really happened.

I wonder what the next 30 years were like. How often did they think back to that night? Did they ever wonder what happened to that baby?

Do you think they made the connection when an unruly rabbi stood in the hills and started talking to people just like them? I wonder if any of them heard his message?

Or – what if Jesus remembered those shepherds? What if he sought them out on purpose?

It’s all conjecture, and none of it matters, except…

How would you and I respond to that experience?

Would we go back to life as usual?

Would we make the connection to the unruly rabbi?

Would we follow?

Maybe those questions matter.