The Shepherds received joy at the news they heard that night. Alone, in the fields watching their animals, they may have felt forsaken by God and men. Moses in fleeing the wrath of Pharoah and his conscience hides out as a shepherd. It was the shepherd boy David who was summoned from the fields to be anointed king. No doubt while Jesse made sure his sons were in attendance to meet the prophet Samuel, David was left to tend the flocks in the fields-and very likely the same fields where the Christmas shepherds were greeted by the angels!
We also receive joy from the Good Shepherd. With the guidance of the Good Shepherd we are protected, fed, watered, and cared for. He protects us-even to the point of giving up his life to give each of us life! The Good Shepherd is our Savior from sin.
The shepherds also display the joy they felt at hearing the blessed news. They ran into Bethlehem. Then they told everyone they met about what the angels said and what they saw in the manger in the stable. What a hubbub this must have created-enough that Mary treasured all these things up in her heart.
We harbor joy in the Lord because of the sacrifice made by the baby in Bethlehem. Like the shepherds we have our periods of loneliness and feeling forsaken in the desert of life. We feel empty. We feel abandoned. But the Good Shepherd brings us joy with his presence. We may not always be happy, but we are joyful. And in this joy we can say with Paul, "I do not consider the present sufferings worth comparing to the surpassing riches that will be ours in Christ."
This joy becomes our joy whenever he see and hear the Word. We hear the word of the Word in reading and hearing his message from the Bible. We see and feel the Word in the sacraments which create, strengthen, and preserve our faith in the Good Shepherd. We have joy in being redeemed and adopted as sons and daughters of the living God!
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