The Power of the FIRST Messengers...THE SHEPHERDS

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Like every month of December the account of the story of Jesus
coming into this world is revisited over and over again. When the
other eleven months come around it is never heard from or
mentioned again. It has been grossly tied to crass commercialized
greed and sadly connected to it. But the powerful, miraculous
story stands the test of time.  I was reading the 2nd
chapter of Luke, and read the part after Mary gave birth to
Jesus. How there were shepherds in the field keeping watch over
the 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."


I thought about how the heavens and the glory of God could have
shone upon other people groups that night. Instead He chose those
men not only to see the open heavens, and to hear the spectacular
birth announcement. But the greatest thing was they were the
first eyewitnesses of all mankind to see their beautiful
Redeemer, and Savior of the world.  My mind pictured those
simple men sitting out in the open field, tired, dirty and
unassuming. They were the poorest of the poor, the lowest of the
low of citizenry, the underpaid and overworked. They were looked
upon with disgust and disdain.


Yet I see a deeper message and insight. They represented the very
people Jesus was sent first to preach the gospel to. As the Lord
spoke in the temple in Luke 4:18, " The Spirit of the Lord is
upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the
poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach
deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the
blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised."


Perhaps, this described the very lives of these men, which is why
they were chosen.  And it seems to me that these men will
ever represent not only to whom the gospel is first preached, but
the kind of people who will powerfully go forth preaching it to
the end of time.  We are to emulate their first faith like
little children, yet mighty men, and to go forth preaching the
same message with that same intense conviction and joy. Never
forget those shepherd men as long as you live and not just in the
month of December, and ever seek to join their ranks. I love what
an old saint said from the 15th century. "Wherever you find a
small group of poor Christians,....join them!"


Contact:  Email: jsfieldnotes@gmail.com