That night some shepherds were in the fields outside the village, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terribly frightened, but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news of great joy for everyone! The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born tonight in Bethlehem, the city of David! And this is how you will recognize him: You will find a baby lying in a manger, wrapped snugly in strips of cloth!”
Shepherding in the Old Testament is referenced more than 200 times, while in the New Testament, it’s mentioned 16 times. Though a somewhat antiquated term in our culture today, the idea of shepherding a flock holds significance for us as believers, not only in understanding the Bible, but in helping the flock, or the congregation, grow in Christ.
The story of the birth of Jesus, though often quoted more at Christmas than any other times, holds truths for us that matter any time of the year, particularly when discussing the many ways members of the church body can serve others. In this passage, we see an angel of the Lord appearing to the shepherds and telling them the Messiah had been born. But have you ever wondered why the angel of the Lord appeared to the shepherds at all or why this detail is part of the narrative. In hindsight, it makes sense to us today practically, and from a literary standpoint, that shepherds would be present at the birth of Jesus since Mary was protecting and nursing the very one who would later call himself “the good shepherd.”
I tell you the truth, the man who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep. The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.
John 10 1-5 (NIV)
More on this verse shortly; but perhaps God chose to speak to the shepherds and then to have them on the scene for one important reason: to comfort Mary in the tumultuous times of fleeing from Herod and the possibility of having her son taken from her (See Matthew 2). As Luke 2:18 says, “All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished, but Mary quietly treasured these things in her heart and thought about them often.” The key word, “treasured,” which appears as “kept” in the King James Version, is “sunthreñw” in the Greek. As Strong’s concordance states, it means “to preserve (a thing from perishing or being lost)” or “to keep within one’s self, keep in mind (a thing, lest it be forgotten).” Appropriately, the second half of this word, “threñw,” means “to attend to carefully, take care of a) to guard.” Here, two things are happening. First, the shepherds that came to see Jesus bring a personal testimony to Mary that this child would, indeed, be the savior. This surely brought comfort to Jesus’ parents in the midst of trying times. Second, the language used implies that Mary nurtured and guarded this truth in her heart, as a shepherd would nurture and guard his flock.
This brings us to the nursery ministry and John 10. Babies quickly become in tune to their parents’ voice, just as sheep can recognize their shepherd’s voice, as described in this verse. Nursery workers, then, carry an important task keeping guard over the little ones while the children’s parents take an hour to worship in the church. Nursery workers are called to attend to the needs of the children and to nurture and love them as best they can - to act as shepherds to them in their parents’ stead.
point to ponder
Do you have a heart for infants and toddlers? Does your heart melt when they giggle or take soft, undeveloped steps through a playroom? If you do have a heart for them, ask how much time you may be able to devote helping the nursery ministry at The Mount. For, not only will you be ministering to infants and toddlers, you will be ministering to the parents, giving them time away from distractions to focus on learning about and worshiping Christ.
prayer
Father, if you do desire me to serve in the nursery ministry, I pray that you would reveal that to me. Help me to better discern your will in this area, and while my time and energy are limited, supply me with these things so that I may serve you. In Christ’s name.