A Shepherd’s Story
Love INC of the
Almost everyone knows the story: “And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.” (Luke 2:8 NIV) We realize that they were the first to receive the Good News – a supernatural, glory-filled announcement of the birth of Messiah! We wish we could have been a shepherd that night, taken by surprise by the appearance of angels and hear the multitude announce Christ’s birth.
But we don’t often think about the kind of life shepherd lived at the time of the Savior’s birth. They were not the envy of society! They often slept with their animals to keep them safe from harm. That’s admirable, yes, but implications include cold nights, fleas and other vermin. Shepherds were poor, and didn’t know how to do much else.
Most of us don’t think about the poor any more than we do about the shepherds. We may have a fleeting concern when we see someone walking along the road on a cold day; or someone shivering, without a coat in a store parking lot. Although we live in a warm climate, but for the poor – a slight drop in the temperature is a lot. We let the concern dissipate quickly when we say a fleeting prayer and continue our business at hand.
That’s not what Jesus did. Jesus’ concern for the poor far outweighed his concerns for people who, like most of us, live in abundance. If he had chosen to be born in this day and age, he would not give us as much attention as the poor around us.
“Wait a minute,” you might be thinking, “of course he would have reached out to us, he loves everyone equally and unconditionally, how did you come up with that idea?” Would you be surprised to learn that it comes from scripture? Consider the following:
"The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor…..” (Luke 4:19, quoting Isaiah 61:1)
"The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor." (Matthew 11:5b, Luke7:22b)
So while it’s true that God loves us all, he wants to especially bless those who have a heart for the poor, and who walk in obedience:
“All they asked was that we should continue to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do.” (Galatians 2:10)
“If you love me, you will obey what I command…Whoever hears my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him…If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him” (John
The Christmas account relates that “…when they [the shepherds] had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.” (Luke 2:18) We can all be shepherds. We can all receive the Good News and tell others. We can reach out to the poor in many ways. Love INC offers many avenues to do just that. Call to find out how – who knows, you may be God’s answer to our prayers!
