Luke 2:1-10

The Shepherds Story

Written by Scott Bowerman
Presented by Lee Merriman, Dec 21, 2014
Shepherd comes skidding into sanctuary, obviously highly excited, trips over robe, falls down,
gets up, headdress is skewed over eyes, fixes then launches into monologue.
Hey everybody - look at all these people - you wouldnt believe what I just saw! Angels!
Thousand of them! Bright blazing light! Singing! And a baby - the baby- the baby to end all
babies! Somebody come up and give me a high-five!
But maybe I should introduce myself. My name is Moshe - that means Moses, people - hey! Can
anyone guess what I am? (wait for responses). I cant hear you! Right, Im a shepherd!
Oh, I bet you think being a shepherd is easy work. Sit around all day and watch the sheep.
Thats what everybody thinks. How hard is it to watch a bunch of dumb sheep?
Hey! Dont you go calling my sheep dumb! Who do you think you are anyway? Sheep may not
be as smart as you - though looking at some of you, who knows? But sheep are important! We
get wool and meat and milk, skins and horns - like this - wanna hear me play a song? (Shepherd
pulls out shofar and proudly toots out something painfully dissonant).
Anyway....you think being a shepherd is easy? Lying on your back on the grass with the sun on
your face while the sheep gently go baa? Hah! Let me tell you one thing - there aint much
grass where I come from! Israel - a land of milk and honey, maybe, but its mostly rocks. Little
patches of grass - so we gotta travel. We walk. A lot. Leading the sheep to green pastures so
theyve got something to eat and drink.
And were outside - in the broiling summer, in the freezing winter. We live in these little tents,
and we eat what we carry.
And you see this stick! You know what this is for? Lions and hyenas and bears, oh my! Wild
animals, people - wild animals whod like nothing better to snatch one of my sheep for a snack.
And whos got to fight off the wild animals? Shepherds. Howd you like to go hand-to-hand
with a pack of hyenas, eh? Why, I remember this time I was sitting around the campfire, and my
buddy Joshua, he says to me, in a real quiet voice, Moshe, look. And I looked - and there were
these glowing eyes staring at us from the dark. Hyenas. Surrounding us. I could feel their hot
breath, smell their stink. But was I afraid? No! Moshes not afraid of anything! I grabbed a
flaming piece of wood from the fire, let out a yell like David chasing the Philistines, and chased
away them hyenas!
David! Remember him? He was a shepherd, too, you know. So was Moses - the guy I am
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named for - remember what he was doing when he saw the LORD in the burning bush? Out
looking for a lost sheep. Abraham - Father Abraham - he was a shepherd, too! Isaac,
Jacob...hey! I come from a long line of important people
So why dont we get any respect? It seems like everybody hates us.
And it aint fair! Sure there are some bad apples out there - but all of us get smeared with a bad
reputation. They say were thieves, that we slaughter our sheep and sell the meat and wool and
then chalk up the death to a bear attack. Shoot, I havent done that in weeks!
But the rabbis have said that were all cheats and thieves, just like tax-collectors. Taxcollectors! Imagine being lumped together with those Roman-loving scum! You know what else
-we cant testify in court because they think were born liars.
And worst of all, they slam the door of the temple in our faces. Were unclean, you see. We
dont keep the law like the Pharisees say we should.. Hey! Want to hear a Pharisee joke? What
do you call a thousand Pharisees chained to the bottom of the ocean? A good start!
Anyway, we cant go in to worship God - gotta stay out with the Gentiles. You ever been shut
out because of who you were or what you do for a living? It stinks, let me tell you that. Arent
we part of Israel, too? Didnt God choose us shepherd to be his people, too?
Go figure how this happened. I mean, you remember the psalms David wrote? Shepherds come
out pretty good - The Lord is my shepherd...., remember? David said God is like a shepherd,
watching over his people. The prophets, they too described the LORD like a shepherd - when I
was a boy, I stood in the back of the synagogue, in the shadows where no one could see me, and I
heard this scripture read - from the great prophet, Isaiah - (The Lord) will feed his flock like a
shepherd, he will gather the lambs in his arms, he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead
those who are young...
Ive held lambs in my arms - newborn lambs, held them so the mother could lick them clean right
after birth. Ive seen life be born, Ive fed sheep, Ive led those who are young...just like the
LORD says about his people. I may not have much schooling, and I dont know the law like the
scribes, but I do know exactly what it means when in the scriptures the prophets say the LORD is
like a shepherd.
Maybe thats one reason why the angels came to us. Angels! Oh, man oh man oh man you
wouldnt believe it. You see, me and Joshua and Caleb, were settling down for the night. The
fires going, the sheep are resting, the stars are out, its one of those nights that is sharp and clear,
like a spring-fed pool. Im nibbling on some olives, and Calebs telling us the same story hes
told us five times before about the time he rescued a lamb that fell down a ravine - when,
when....naw, you wouldnt believe it. Youll think Im as nutty as a bag of almonds!

Should I tell them or shouldnt I? Oh, Ive got to tell! Well, there I am, lying on my back,
spitting out olive pits when FA-FOOSH! The sky gets as bright as daytime! Its so bright that it
hurts our eyes at first - we look up and try to see what it is - and its...its...AN ANGEL!
Hes, hes huge! He glows like the sun! And there he is, floating in the sky right above us. Me,
Moshe, not afraid of anything, boy I was afraid now! And I look at Caleb and Joshua, and
theyre hiding under their cloaks (pantomime), saying, Im sorry, Im sorry, Ill never do it
again!, like they think the angels is about to pound them into the dust.
And then this angel starts talking to us - and his voice is as loud and strong as thunder, but as
sweet as honey, a voice that you can feel in your gut as well as hear, and he says, Dont be
afraid! Ive got great news thats for everybody! Today, in the city of David, a savior is born for
you - the Messiah, the Lord!
And then, you wouldnt believe it, the whole sky fills up with angels - musta been hundreds of
them - and theyre singing, all at once - and the sky is blazing bright now, it was like getting
close to a fire, thought my hair would get singed - theyre all singing and praising God - it was so
loud, yet it was so beautiful - and then, poof! Theyre gone! Its me, Caleb, Joshua and our
sheep.
So we looks at each other, drop everything, and start hoofing it to Bethlehem. Now thats not
where I would have had the Messiah born - if it were up to me, Id have him born in a palace, not
in a little town like Bethlehem, but whos going to argue with an army of angels?
Man, we even left the sheep - never done that before, the boss woulda killed us if he knew - and
then we get to Bethlehem. And we start looking. Now its late, and here we go, three shepherds,
start knocking on doors, asking if theres a baby in the house. Boy, I heard some new words that
night! But its a small town, you see, and we come to this one house, and the door is part way
open, and we knock, and I peek, and theres a baby, right in the manger lying in the straw just
like the angel said.
And were out of breath - and all three of us start talking at the same time...Angel...baby in
manger...savior.... The father, think his name was Joseph, pulls us in and shuts the door, his
eyes get real big and he goes, Say what?
So I tells him - tells him everything. O f course, why should they believe us, were just
shepherds, right? Nobody trusts a shepherd. But Joseph - he seems to - like he knows just what
were talking about with this angel stuff. So he whispers - come here, take a look - and we go
over to the manger, and we look down at this newborn baby boy - and you know what? (Singsong while dances or prances in a circle) I got to hold him, I got to hold him!
The messiah! The savior! I held him right in my arms! Me, a shepherd!

Ah, but its all so strange. A little savior born in a little town with the good news announced to
little people - shepherds. Shepherds! Why us?
Maybe, maybe its like the angel said - I bring you good news which is for all the people. All
the people - that means people like me - people who are on the bottom looking up, people who
are on the outside looking in. If the news of the saviors birth came to us, if we were the first
people to see him - well, then the good news really must be for all people.
Why, Id just love to go find some Pharisees and Scribes and Sadducees and go Nah, nah, I saw
the Savior and you didnt... First time in my life that I ever felt special!
So whats it to you? You out there - why, you look marvelous. I bet most of you took a bath last
night. I havent taken a bath since April! Youre all dressed up so nice - but I wonder if some of
you, or most of you, dont need this good news as much as I do. Because you can look so nice on
the outside, especially compared to somebody like me, but on the inside, were all alike. Were
all sinners, and we all need some good news! You can fool yourself into thinking youre better
than someone like me - wear nice clothes like the Sadducee, follow all the rules like the
Pharisees, know the scriptures backwards and forwards, upside down and inside out like the
Scribes - but you need a savior too. Because deep down inside, were all like lost sheep,
wandering all over the place without a clue, prey to danger and evil that lurks behind rocks and
trees - so to speak. But now - now weve got a savior to lead us back to the good shepherd. And
hes your savior too!
Well, tomorrow Ill still be a shepherd. Just like Ive done for years, Ill lead the sheep to pasture
and water, and protect them. Still wont get much respect, either, I guess. Everything will be the
same - but everything will be different, too. Because Ive seen the Messiah! Me, the very first!
And while Im out in the fields with my sheep, Ill look up into the sky and know there is another
Shepherd up there who is smiling down at me.

copyright 2014 by Scott Bowerman