Contemplative Bible Reading

Luke 2:15 (New Living Translation)

15 When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

This is part of the (hi)story of the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem. Angels visited shepherds in the fields and told them of Jesus in the manger in the stable.

I gloss over the story because I have heard it so many times. These sheep herders, however, had a serious job: watch the sheep. Those sheep were the livelihood of people. Losing sheep was a big deal. You lose your sheep, your family doesn’t eat and has no place to sleep and no clothes to wear!

Still, the shepherds reacted with, “Forget the sheep, let’s go see what the Lord has told us about.”

They realized they had received a message from God. They had to react to the message from God. The human consequences may be this or that, but the message from God was certain—no may be this or that.

Faith. Believe the message from God and act on it. Faith. God, please grant me the faith I need each day.