The shepherds hurried on their way
This child they wanted to see.
Where was this stall in Bethlehem,
A manger with baby?
They found him wrapped in swaddling cloths
Just like the angel said.
They gazed in awe at the little child
And then the news they spread.
Read this account for yourself in Luke 2:15-20
The shepherds wasted no time in seeking the newborn king. The angels gave them a sign, “you will find the babe wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” How many manger stalls might have been in Bethlehem? How long did it take them to find the baby Jesus? We can only guess. Bethlehem was a very small town.
Imagine Mary and Joseph’s surprise when the shepherds came and told them why they had come. How many shepherds had heard the angels and had come to see the Christ Child? What did Mary and Joseph think when these unkempt smelly shepherds came to see her baby?
When the shepherds left Mary and Joseph they hurried on their way to share the news, the Messiah was born. How many people listened and believed the shepherds? And how many simply dismissed their story as foolish ramblings of men who had been away with the sheep too long?
But Mary pondered all these things in her heart.
This devotional message corresponds to the eleventh mini-story in The First Christmas by Janice D. Green. The First Christmas is available here.