Every December I pray the same prayer: Lord, please show me something new about the Christmas story.”
And then I watch for it. I think of it as a special game that God and I play together. He has “all the cards” but when asked, is willing to show one (or more) of them to me. I know he isn’t going to lay out the whole hand, but seeing even one of them means he’s letting me win one round of our game.
In past years he’s never failed to answer my prayer, sometimes in big ways, sometimes small. This morning in church, as the children presented a brief Christmas program, he showed me one of his cards. It was just a little one, but I appreciated it.
As a robed angel-boy announced to the shepherds that the Savior had been born, other angels chimed in with singing, and an invitation was given to “go and see” the new baby. The child-shepherds responded with this:
“The Lord will take care of the sheep. Let’s go!”
And there it was. The new card. I’d never thought about those sheep before, the ones “abiding in the field” outside Bethlehem with their “shepherds keeping watch over them by night.” The text says the shepherds immediately went “with haste” to find the baby Jesus.
Surely after their encounter with so many supernatural beings, none of them gave the sheep another thought as they bolted toward town. And though Scripture doesn’t include that line about the Lord being the one to take care of the sheep, that’s probably exactly what happened. I can’t see any of the shepherds volunteering to miss out on this awesome event by hanging back with the sheep.
We’ve heard the nativity story so many times it tends to move in one ear and out the other without making any fresh impact. To consider one small part of it we haven’t thought about before is to look afresh at this 2000-year-old story, even if it’s only something simple like wondering about who cared for the sheep after the shepherds ran off.
But an even greater joy comes in realizing that God generously answers the prayers of people seeking more of him and wanting further information about his story. I plan to keep watching in case God wants to play another round of our game, and thankfully, he’s ok with that. Actually, he has encouraged me to stay on the lookout and seems to enjoy revealing more of his story to anyone who wants to know.
“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” (Jeremiah 29:13)
Praising and Praying with Mary
- Please pray that our 11th grandchild will be safely delivered tomorrow.
- I’m thanking God for how really good I feel without the feeding tube!
Thanks, Margaret! The “leaving the sheep” part has always bothered me! I like the added line from this play! I hope you all have a wonderful and VERY blessed Christmas!
On his Christmas album Johnny Cash has a song titled Who Kept the Sheep. Every time my husband would hear that song he always commented that he often wondered who kept the sheep. What a insight from children. I hope you and your family have a wonderful Christmas. God bless you all.
“Out of the mouths of babes”…….a beautiful line in the children’s Christmas play! I am sorry to say it never occurred to me…..and I too have realized something new. Again I am blessed with your wonderful sharing, Margaret…..thank you. May you and yours be blessed with the wonderful sense of awe, beauty and love that came down to be our Savior so long ago and fill each heart with joy. God’s special blessings for each of you!
Praying a safe arrival for your grandchild, Mary, and that you continue to feel so good without the feeding tube.
Another part of the story is: the wise men did not see Jesus in the manger, only the shepherds were there, the wise men saw the star, followed it, but they came from so far away, Jesus was over a year old by time they arrived.! There is so much more to be learned, I wonder….will we ever REALLY know it all before He returns?
Good pondering. Thanks, Margaret.