I’m excited to be sharing the following post over at www.wearehisdaughters.com

And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.” Luke 2:8-10 (ESV)

The good news of Jesus’ birth came to the shepherd’s first. Maybe this seems like something completely insignificant but nothing with God is without purpose.

I probably relate to this piece of information more than most as I am a shepherd. Not in the same exact way as the shepherds from the Bible, but still a shepherd. Thankfully I don’t need to live with them 24 hours a day but my whole livelihood is dependent on the animals we raise. It’s not a hobby I do on the side, ranching is our sole source of income. 

Growing up in a cattle ranching community, it was all too common to hear derogatory comments about those “sheep farmers”. It something that started during the settlement of the west and has unfortunately continued to this day.

I have a feeling the shepherds of old could relate to feeling like second class citizens in their communities as well. They lived with their sheep full time so didn’t have much social interaction. Sheep are terribly skittish animals and as such the shepherds wouldn’t want to risk the new smells that come with cleaning up to go to town unsettling them. So going into town (which would be very limited) had its downfalls.

On one hand the loneliness of your job would get old but the feelings of being treated “less than” every time you did gather with other people would put a damper on gatherings. Maybe it would be easier just to keep to themselves and remain “out of sight and out of mind”.

But…God in His great wisdom came to the shepherds first as a sign of exactly what Jesus’ birth symbolized – HOPE!

The shepherds were considered among the “least of these”. They were exactly the right people for the earth shattering news! Jesus came for everyone not just the elite.

I personally find so much hope in the fact the angels were heard in the quiet of the star filled sheep pastures. A cry out to those who had been set aside by society but were now set apart by God. Can you just feel the hope oozing out of that night?

[Tweet “God interrupted the ordinary with the hope of the extraordinary.”]

The story doesn’t end there. Christmas is a reminder of God’s hope for all of us. Those who have felt socially unacceptable as well as those who feel included. The hope of the Messiah is for us ALL!

He’s offering that same hope to each of now. We can accept the good news of great joy God is offering to ALL people.

I’m sharing this post with several other blogger’s at these Faith Linkups. I encourage you to check them out. If this post resonates with you and feel it would help others please feel free to share. Easy to share buttons below. ~Laura~