What Betokens
the Shepherds’ Arrival
By Dr. Chris King
(as based on Luke 2:8-18)
On
a quiet, mid-winter’s eve while dancing their shadow and amber reel
The
light from wicks of olive oil lamps, hung and placed throughout the homes
Silhouetting
the inhabitants of the house as they ended their day,
Preparing
their twilight meal.
Outside
darkness fell.
The
sky blanketed in pitch, speckled only in dots of white.
The
countryside mingled with the dimness, accenting the loneliness
Of
the shepherds’ golden hillside fires.
As
the blessing of thanksgiving was said, the bread was broken and conversation
begun.
A
familiar, yet untimely, smell entered the room, making the meal a most
reprehensible feast.
A
scent most unwelcome, early and inappropriate.
Yet,
it was enough of a prompter to warrant an outside peek at the window
To
see the source of this unseasonable visit.
The
stench of sheep and their keepers who were normally prevented from entering the
city
Until
the time of shearing and the selling of their wares
Followed
in the wake of their unexpected visit.
They
passed house unto house through the village as if on mission
Speaking
to none apart from among themselves.
Their
search specific, their attention riveted on one focus.
Having
taken their ill-favored smell with them,
The
residents began again to settle down to their meal.
Their
course of conversation steered to the shepherds
And
then on to other subjects of the day as needed.
Yet,
the odd behavior of these denizens of the field
Could
not be forgotten—Why did they come to town tonight?
As
the dishes of their evening repast were removed and washed,
In
the distance was heard, of all things, singing, laughter, and…shouts.
Attention
of all, thus captured, the residents rushed to window and door
To
see and hear this disturbance that had overtaken their quiet hamlet.
To
their surprise, none other than the previous inopportune shepherds
Returned
in a state of uncharacteristic joy and abandonment, declaring…
“The
angel spoke truth to us. We have seen it ourselves.
The
long-awaited Messiah is here. God’s salvation has finally come.
He
is born tonight among us in a stable on the other end of town.
Here,
of all places, in our small village of Bethlehem.
The
angel spoke to us and the host of heaven as well. Come and see!”
In
their joy, the shepherds danced arm-in-arm
Overwhelmed
by God’s blessing upon them
As
they shouted to Bethlehem’s residents, young and old,
“Come
and see. The long-awaited Messiah is here. God’s salvation has finally come.”
It
is not known how those who heard the words of the shepherds
Responded
to their acclamations or to the joy that drove them from the fields
To
see if the angel’s declaration to them was, in fact, true.
It
is, however, known that the same invitation
That
the sheep keepers extended to those village inhabitants
Is
the very same one the Scripture offers to everyone each Christmas and each day
hence:
“Come
and see. The long-awaited Messiah is here. God’s salvation has finally come.”
