Good news sheep
by Eden Bishop
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And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger (Luke 2:16).
Read Luke 2:15–21
My favourite ‘characters’ in the Christmas story when I was a child were always the shepherds and, of course, the sheep. This was probably due to the absolutely adorable sheep in the Little People nativity set we had as children, but also my delight in the story of the angels appearing before the shepherds. My enjoyment of the presence of the shepherds and sheep in the Christmas story was also probably helped along by the time I played, somewhat anachronistically, Shaun the Sheep in a Christmas play.
Upon some reflection as an adult, I think I would still say the shepherds and the sheep are my favourite ‘characters’ (outside of Jesus, of course) in the Christmas story. However, this is due to how much I like that it is the shepherds who are the first to see Jesus and spread the good news about his birth. There is a certain poetic symbolism about this because Jesus is the Good Shepherd who has come to look after his sheep. It is beautiful that shepherds, who are, in fact, sheep, share the news of the coming of the Good Shepherd.
Just like the shepherds of the first Christmas story, we, the sheep, also get to share the excitement and good news of the arrival of our shepherd.
Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for sending a shepherd to care for your sheep. We pray that you will continue to give us the excitement that comes with knowing our shepherd has come to us. Amen.
Eden Bishop lives in Adelaide and is a member at St Paul Blair Athol. She attends the University of Adelaide and is in the final year of her Advanced Economics degree. Eden enjoys reading (particularly The Lord of the Rings), playing the piano in church, knitting and learning fun facts about dinosaurs.
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