When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another,”Let’s go over to Bethlehem and see what has happened, what the Lord has made known to us”…and they went with haste…(Luke 2:15-16).  I wonder what that looked like…..

This is my grandson Travis when he was one year old.  He is holding his sheep close, climbing in the basket, ready to go.  I wonder which of the shepherds was the first to say “Let’s go!” ?  Who led the way?  Would some of them have rather hung around and dreamed about that magnificent display by the angels?  Yet something, or SOMEONE, dramatically compelled them to drop everything, grab their sheep, and take off running to Bethlehem to SEE!

This portrait of the shepherds is a portion of the Portinari Altarpiece by Hugo van der Goes (1476). The altarpiece is huge, about 8 feet high and 14 1/2 feet wide and is rich with precise realistic details.  The shepherds are only a small portion of the entire painting.  However, if you were standing before this altarpiece the figures would be life size and you would be looking straight into their faces.

There is a sense that the shepherds have just frantically run all the way here.  In fact, you can see others running in the background.  They look more real to me than most shepherds I have seen in nativity scenes.  These guys are truly sheep herders.  Look at their “rough and ready” hands.  And look at their faces.  They truly wanted to SEE!  They are strong and rugged men who suddenly are captured in Love by a baby.  It was all worth running to see, and somehow they knew it would be.  Their faces say it all.  It is a dramatic moment in which they are changed forever.

One day my grandchildren wanted to hear more stories about my childhood.  I told them that I was a cheerleader in 6th grade.  I taught them a couple of cheers from back then and one of them has stuck in their minds as cheers tend to do.  It surfaces now and then as the children shout joyfully, “Let’s GO, let’s GO, let’s REALLY GO!”.  I think about that in relation to the shepherds and smile.  They heard the message from God and they immediately took off running…risk takers, out of the box, adventurous, daring, bold, convicted!  I love those shepherds!  I hope whenever I get the word from God, I too would be the one to say without reservation, “LET’S GO!”.

Questions to think about…

Are you more apt to be bold or precautionary?  What about when it comes to your faith?

When in your life did you take a step to go see Jesus for yourself?

nk