The Significance of the Shepherds

Why is it significant that God sent the Angels to shepherds, the lowest class of people?

Because we do not know our value. We think our value comes from some accomplishment or personal attribute, from our profession or our beauty or our kids.

The problem with basing your worth and identity on these things is that they all fade away: professions end, accomplishments fade, our health and physical beauty wilts and the kids leave.

Pride is all the ways we try to validate our existence and find our identity and happiness apart from God.

Only God can give us our true and lasting identity and worth.

The Angels came to the shepherds saying: We bring you Good News of a great joy! A little baby has been born in Bethlehem. You will find him wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger. He has come to make you something very great – sons and daughters of God Most High. And you will reign with him forever and ever.

That is your worth. You were made in the Image of God and called to be sons and daughters of God.

That is very Good News of a great joy!

But people don’t know their value.

When people think they are worthless, then they treat themselves and others as worthless.

Therefore, we must be angels, messengers of the Good News! God looks at every person in the world and says: “It is good that you exist, how wonderful you are. You make the world better just by being in it.”

Be Angels, Messengers, Apostles of Delight.

Find the inherent goodness in others and delight in it and show them you delight in them. Then they will begin to see their own dignity and worth. Then they will begin to become open to their divine calling – to be sons and daughters of God by sharing in His life through the little baby born in Bethlehem. For God became man so that man could become god.