The Shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen as it had been told them (Luke 2:20)

One of the books which I recently bought is entitled “The Art of Christmas” by the theologian, Jane Williams. It is a series of meditations on the birth of Jesus as depicted in some of the world’s greatest paintings.  One of the paintings is by El Greco (1541-1614) -  “Adoration of the Shepherds” -  which is now held in the Museo del Prado, Madrid. It is considered to be his last painting and was meant to hang over his own tomb in a convent in Toledo. Some of his other paintings can be seen here in The National Gallery of Scotland.

El Greco paints the shepherds barefoot and ragged; their faces full of wonder and reverence. There is a swirling feeling to the painting; the whole world is in motion around the holy family. The child at the heart of the painting is tiny but shining; the source of the light illuminating his parents and the shepherds. 

We are reminded that the first announcement of God’s message came to the shepherds. Shepherds were despised by the orthodox good people of the day. They were unable to keep the demanding details of the ceremonial law; they could not observe the meticulous hand-washings and rules and regulations. Their flocks made constant demands on them; and so the orthodox looked down on them. 

Who knows, they may have been very special shepherds. Perhaps the clue comes in the angel’s explanation: the Messiah, the Saviour, has been born in David’s own town; David started life as a shepherd and ended up as Israel’s greatest king; reference to shepherds goes a long way back.

God seems to like shepherds. They get the most royal of invitations to the nativity. Mary has a personal visit from the angel Gabriel. Joseph has an angelic visitation in a dream, but the shepherds not only get their own personal angel, telling them the good news, but then they are joined by the “heavenly host”. 

The shepherds are perhaps even the first evangelists. They tell the good news that the angels gave them and that they were then able to see for themselves. We are told that they went about “glorifying and praising God”. 

No doubt shepherds were a commonplace of the districts in which Jesus conducted his ministry in later life. He seems to have observed them closely. The good shepherd who searches for the lost sheep is a picture of his own ministry of seeking out the lost, rather than concentrating on the safe and comfortable. He even describes himself as “the good shepherd” who has taken the time and trouble to know and be known by the sheep, who will protect them at any cost.

Over Christmastide we will have sung and heard familiar carols referencing shepherds. They will have ranged from “While shepherds watched their flocks” and “Shepherds left their flocks a-straying” through to “the Shepherd’s Pipe Carol” and “The Shepherd’s Farewell”. We just cannot get away from them.

As we come to the end of another year with the hopes, challenges and uncertainties that will face each of us may we know the presence of the good shepherd. May we be sure that he knows us and that we can know him too. And may we like those first shepherds who heard God’s message, continue to “go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place which the Lord has made known to us”.