The Most Amazing Night Shift Workers of All

 

“And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.”— Luke 2:8 (NIV)

 

I’ve always wondered about those shepherds. Out there in the middle of the night. Cold. Dark. Probably tired down to their bones. While most folks were tucked in under blankets with the fire burning low, these men were wide awake—watching sheep. Not exactly the kind of résumé that lands you at the front of a royal birth announcement.

 

And yet… there they were.

 

Why in the world were they tending sheep in the middle of the night anyway? Didn’t they ever get any rest? Didn’t they have better things to do? Well, as it turns out, shepherds played a mighty important role in ancient Israel. Those sheep weren’t just for wool sweaters and Sunday roasts. They provided food, fabric, and animals for temple sacrifice—especially around Passover. Their work fed families, clothed communities, and played a role in worship itself.

 

Still… of all the people God could have invited to the grand opening of salvation, He chose the night-shift workers.

 

Then suddenly, Scripture tells us, the sky split open with glory. An angel appeared. And just like that, an ordinary work night turned into the most unforgettable moment in history.

 

I’ve often wondered what happened to the sheep when the angel appeared. Did the shepherds just drop everything and run? Did they herd those sheep toward town with a bunch of confused lambs bleating in front of them? The Bible doesn’t tell us. But it does tell us this:

“When they had seen Him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child.”— Luke 2:17

 

Whatever they did with those sheep, they didn’t let fear, responsibility, or exhaustion stop them from going to Jesus.

 

And isn’t that just like us? We worry about our unfinished tasks, our responsibilities, our schedules—our “sheep.” But heaven still calls us to come and see.

 

Years later, that baby in the manger would grow up and say something that tied it all together:

“I am the good shepherd. I know my sheep and my sheep know me.”— John 10:14

 

First the shepherds watched over sheep. Then the Shepherd came to watch over them—and all of us.

So whether the shepherds were cold, sleepy, confused, or downright startled out of their sandals, one thing is certain: God trusted them with the first public announcement of His Son.

 

Not the kings. Not the scholars. Not the wealthy.

 

The shepherds.

 

Ordinary people doing faithful work in the dark—just like so many of us.

 

And still today, the Good Shepherd calls His sheep by name.

 

Lord Jesus,

Thank You for coming to us in such humility and grace. Thank You for choosing the lowly, the ordinary, and the tired to witness Your glory. Help us, like the shepherds, to run toward You when You call, no matter what we are carrying or tending. Teach us to trust You as our Good Shepherd and to hear Your voice above the noise of this world. As we celebrate Your birth this season, may our hearts be wide open with wonder and worship.

Amen.

 

And FYI: Christmas was probably first celebrated near Passover instead of on December 25th.

Christian patriarch, Tertullian, working from gospel accounts, placed Jesus' crucifixion on 14 Nissan in the Hebrew calendar, which would have been March 25th on the Roman calendar. He then presumed Christ's birth to be exactly 9 months following which would have been on December 25th.

For nearly three centuries, Jesus’ birth wasn’t widely celebrated at all. In A.D. 336 Christian emperor, Constantine, possibly in an effort to compete with other pagan celebrations of winter, established Christmas to be observed on the date of December 25th.