The Old Shepherd

The little boy sat next to his grandpa and said, “Tell me again Grandpa about that night.” The old shepherd drew the little fellow close to him and began, “I will be glad to son because I never want you to forget it.” Pointing toward a hillside across from where they were sitting he said, “It was right over there on that hill about forty years ago. I was a young lad myself and was with my older brothers as we were keeping watch over our sheep as we had done a hundred times before. As we were getting ready to bed down for the night all of a sudden there was a bright light that appeared about a stones throw away from us. It was brighter than any light any of us had ever seen before. As we were shielding our eyes from its glow there appeared a man in the midst of it! We were terrified! Never had anyone seen anything like this.” The little boy asks, “Who was he Grandpa?” The old man smiled and said, “We did not know at first. We bowed our faces toward the ground in submission to him. He then spoke and said, ‘Do not be afraid. I have come from God to give you some Good News that will be for all people on earth.’ I raised my head and sat on my knees along with the others. ‘In the City of David, called Bethlehem, there has been a birth. For this night, a Savior, who is the Christ, the Lord, has been given to the world!’” The little boy asks excitedly, “Was he an angel from God?” The old shepherd said, smiling, “You know he was, as I have told you before.” The old man continued, “But we did not know that at first. Then he said, ‘This is how you will know this Child; He will be in a stable, lying in a manger, and will be wrapped in the swaddling cloths. His mother Mary, and Joseph, will be there with Him.’ Then at that very moment there was a multitude of angels, more than we could count, and they began praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God the Most High, and on the earth, peace and goodwill toward all people!’” The little boy said, “I would have liked to have been there! Then what did you do Grandpa?” The old shepherd said, “The angels then disappeared just as quickly as they had come. We then decided that we would leave a couple to watch the sheep and the rest of us would go down to Bethlehem to see this Child which the angel had told us about. We entered the city and began searching for a stable in which there would be a mother with child. When we checked the one behind the Inn, there we found them, just as the angel had said!

We stopped outside and bowed our faces to ground and told the couple how we had found them. Mary then motioned to us to come closer.” The little boy asks, “Did you see Him Grandpa?” The old shepherd, wiping away a tear from his old eyes nodded. Hugging his grandson close he continued; “As I looked into the manger upon that little face there was a peace that came over me that I cannot explain. For the first time in my life I was not afraid of anything. For just a brief moment nothing seemed important anymore, only this Child!” The little boy asks, “Did He look at you Grandpa? Did he?” The old man says, “I could barely see His eyes. But when there appeared a very small opening in them, I felt as though He knew me! I was lost in His presence for just a brief moment, but I would have liked to have stayed in that moment forever! We all bowed and worshipped Him and then we went into the town and began to tell everyone what we had seen and all that had happened to us!” The little boy then asked, “Did you know Him when he grew up Grandpa?” The old shepherd, smiling as some of the other younger shepherds came closer to hear, said; “I heard tell of Him. I heard people talk about John, the preacher that came from the wilderness areas, and how that he had baptized this Man named Jesus in the Jordan, and that He was the Lamb of God, the Promised Messiah!” I heard about all the miracles that He wrought among the people. That blind men received their sight; that the deaf was made to hear and the dumb to speak! I heard that He brought a little girl, a widow’s son, and even a man that had been dead for four days, back to life!” The little boy then asked, “Did you ever see Him again Grandpa?” The old shepherd, nodding and then lifting his eyes toward heaven said, “It was a month or so after they had crucified Him on a Cross. The religious leaders said He was a blasphemer and had Him put to death. His disciples then began telling everyone that He was resurrected three days later! It was true because He continued to tell hundreds of people about the kingdom of God again! Many did not believe it was really Him, but I do! Then one day as He and His followers were heading out of the city I was in the market as the crowd went by. I heard some say, ‘That is Him; that is Jesus.’ I turned and looked and then my eyes met His! At that very moment I knew it was Him! It was that same feeling I had that night in Bethlehem! He smiled at me as He made His way toward the gate along with the rest of His followers and I watched them leave.”’ The little boy asks, “Did you ever see Him again Grandpa?” The old shepherd said, “No. His disciples came back into town later and told everyone that He had gone back up into Heaven.”

Then pulling his little grandson close and looking him in the eyes the old shepherd said, “But do not ever forget; we will all see Him again one day son!”


May the Christ of Christmas shine in your hearts!
In Christ: Br Mike <><