The Agrarian way of life and the message of the Good News of the Birth of Jesus over 2,000 years ago are very much tied together- and this Christmas story from Brandon Baumgarten offers that link to what farmers and ranchers have done for centuries and the God’s provision of a “perfect lamb.”
Enjoy the “The Shouting Shepherd”
Have you ever tried to find the perfect livestock?
I have. Finding that right animal takes a lot of attention, experience and a good eye.
As someone who takes care of sheep, my good eye has seen everything from new lambs being born from weening a whole herd. It’s a constant job, but not a glorified job. It can be lonely living out in the fields outcast from society. Raising my sheep, I don’t talk much, I just mainly pay attention to my flock.
However, one night, I finally found the perfect sheep. True story. It was a late night, quiet and uneventful. The sheep were doing what they always did and we shepherds just watched, guided, and fed the herd like normal.
Then suddenly, normal began to change. Soon the silent night was broken. The uneventful night became eventful. Because in the sky appeared an angel from Heaven saying, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.
And suddenly there was even more angels praising God and saying: “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”
The sight was incredible. I quickly told the other shepherds that we had to see what the angels were talking about. We hurried to Bethlehem and saw Mary, Joseph, and the Christ child lying in a manger just like the Angel said. The King of Kings had come and we lowly shepherds were the first to hear of His arrival.
I’m usually pretty quiet tending my flock, but that night, something changed in me. I felt a rush in my heart to shout and proclaim the news that Jesus, the Son of God had finally come to earth. I shouted and shared the news with everyone I could. Yes, this once silent shepherd turned into a shouting shepherd for Jesus.
When we returned home, we gave thanks and glorified God for all we had seen. As a shepherd, I have a pretty good eye when it comes to livestock and that night we saw another sheep. But it wasn’t an ordinary sheep. We saw the precious lamb of God given as a gift for all the world to receive.
This story is meant give you another perspective of the nativity story. Shepherds were considered unclean in society and were not allowed to even worship in the Temple. Several Bible scholars have noted that their occupation had become so looked down upon that in the Jewish culture, their testimony would not even be counted in a court room.
However, God orchestrated it all to reveal the good news of the nativity to unclean, outcasted, and lowly shepherds. Why? Because Jesus came for the highest of people as well as the lowest of people. This Christmas, regardless of your status, I pray that you accept the gift of Christ and that something will change within you too. I pray that the silence in your heart breaks. I pray that your normal will begin to shift. I pray that you have a reason to shout.
The God who comes to save is more concerned about your heart status than He is about your societal status. Take it from once a silent shepherd who became a Shouting Shepherd because he finally spotted the perfect sheep: Jesus, the precious lamb of God.
The Shouting Shepherd by Brandon Baumgarten
