Shepherd’s Moment

By Brad Henderson

They asked him years later what it had been like, and though he had pondered the moment for the last thirty years, he still wasnʼt quite sure how to put it into words. “Awe-inspiring” was accurate, but amazingly inadequate. “Holy” was very personal... would anyone understand what he was trying to say? And it was useless to explain that words simply could not describe what the night, what the moment had been like.

But tonight, the question came not from his fellow shepherds nor from the good people of Bethlehem, but from someone much closer to his heart. “Grandfather, ” his grandson had asked, perched on his knee, “tell me what it was like. Tell me what the angels looked like, what they sounded like, what they told you! Tell me everything! ”

The shepherd was old enough now, having outlived even most of his friends, to realize that sometimes a child will not let go of his curiosity, no matter how well-thought out your argument to him might be.

And of course, his grandson was old enough to have heard the stories and know what they implied. They were just rumors to begin with, but over time, they took on the substance of reality as more and more people witnessed with their own eyes the healings, the signs, the wonders, the miracles that this Jesus of Nazareth had done. So it was natural that people, even his own grandson, wanted to know how this Son of Bethlehem (some even said Son of God) came into the world.

So he took a deep breath, looked into his grandsonʼs rich hazel and wondering eyes. He had decided to move right past the angels and get to the heart of the story. Then he said, “The best thing I can do is tell you what it did for me. And after all of these years living on the fringe of our society, left out of temple worship, ostracized from the crowded market place, and glared at when I got too close to people on my way home, this is what I can tell you that the night meant to me. When I entered that stable, and knelt beside that rough-hewn feeding trough, gazing at the face of this child, I felt... clean. ”

His grandson looked puzzled. He had expected more.

“Love of my heart, as shepherds have always been treated, I was not allowed to be as much a part of our people as I wanted. According to our Law, I was never clean enough. No matter how I thought about the joy of shepherding and of following in my own fatherʼs footsteps, I always felt, well, unclean. How else am I supposed to feel when no one wants to be near me, touch me, hug me?

But that night... ah, that night as I gazed into the face of a mere baby, I felt clean as I had not felt in twenty years! And for a mother and father to allow me to get so close to their child…. well! ”

He tousled his grandsonʼs hair and scooted him off his lap. Supper was ready. “May you always feel so clean, my beloved child. ” And as he walked outside to fetch fresh milk, he thought, just for a second, that he heard again the rush of angelsʼ wings.

Common Meal

We will have our monthly Common Meal this Sunday, immediately after worship. The Fellowship will provide paper products, utensils, drinks, and ice, so bring a favorite winter/Christmas dish for our feast!

Incarnational
Great Reading

If the holidays are usually a time of stress for you, this study which suggests that people of faith are better able to handle the pressure might be of interest to you. For those of us who grew up during a time of rote learning, we’re not always happy about having to repeat things over and over. Turns out, though, that a disciplined repetition can actually strengthen your prayer life, and hence, your spiritual growth and your relationship with God.

Worship

The story of Johnʼs encounter with Jesus continues this Sunday with a very human but eyebrowraising question: is Jesus the one? “2 When John heard in prison what the Messiah was doing, he sent his disciples 3 to ask him, "Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?" 4 Jesus replied, "Go back and report to John what you hear and see: 5 The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. 6 Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me." 7 As John's disciples were leaving, Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John: "What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed swayed by the wind? 8 If not, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No, those who wear fine clothes are in kings' palaces. 9 Then what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. 10 This is the one about whom it is written: " 'I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.' 11 Truly I tell you, among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet whoever is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. ”

We gather to worship at 10:15- ish. Feel free to invite others who might be looking for a place to celebrate the birth of Christ!