Shepherd's Advantage

Two summers ago we made a trek into Bethlehem to visit the Shepherd Fields and the Church of the Nativity. It was awesome to be at the birthplace of Jesus and to identify with the shepherds.

Ordinary men, doing their job, watching over their flock. Men who were called by God to come and be the first visitors to the Christ child. They immediately left what they were doing to see the Christ child the savior of the world, the Messiah. What a privilege and delight to these men to be the first to see the baby Jesus.

As I thought about this familiar part of the Christmas story, I began to identify with the shepherds as a pastor. Our job is to keep watch over the flock. But a higher calling is to connect with Jesus. If we connect with Him intimately the flock will be better protected.

Secondly, we need to count it a privilege to be called "pastor" shepherd. Healthy pastors should never forget that our first responsibility is to be a shepherd, not a prophet, not a CEO, not an administrator.

Third, good shepherds need to be the first to proclaim the joy of meeting Jesus. The shepherds left the encounter with the baby Jesus telling everyone the good news. Healthy pastors need to be excited, intentional, and role model about sharing what it means to meet Jesus face to face.

Over this holiday season I want to again remind you what a privilege it is to be a shepherd.

You may feel ordinary but have been given an extraordinary opportunity to proclaim the good news!

Merry Christmas.