Mary, Joseph, Jesus and the shepherds and their animal charges.
Those shepherds, however many there were at this event, whatever their ages, only appear in this one portion of the story as told in the Bible. They are not named. They seem only props.
Shepherds, one of the lowest occupations in that time.
Shepherds, not high on any guest list.
Shepherds, maybe not outcasts, but definitely not welcome in a lot of places.
Yet God knew them. They were the first at the manger. They heard angels sing. They were real men with lives and souls that mattered to God Himself.
And they told the news to all they met.
They led lives after the grand nighttime event, and I wonder what might those years look like.
They may never have traveled far from the Bethlehem area. Did they ever see the Messiah again? Did they die before seeing the whole story or live through the time of the crucifixion and resurrection?
What did they think about what they had seen and heard? Did the memory stay fresh in their lives or fade away as time went on?
People no doubt sought them out to hear their story at first, but how believable were they as the years passed? Did they wonder about it all?
Life expectancy was not all that long in that day, and perhaps they did not live long enough to see the end of that earthly story.
The Bible brings them into the narrative and then they walk off, stage right, to disappear.
Only questions and speculations are left for us as we think of them.
Maybe, in heaven one fine day, I'll get a chance to meet and ask.
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