"The Gift of the Shepherd Girl"
In December of 2005 I preached a sermon suggesting one of the shepherds had a 12 year old daughter. The shepherd is not one who went to see the Christ Child. He was one who remained behind to watch the flock.
His daughter, on hearing what the returning shepherds, had seen and heard when they returned, decided to sneak out during the night and see for herself. Since she had heard it was the Christ Child she took a lamb and gave her lamb to the Christ Child.
No one ever knew that she did it and no one realized the missing lamb.
Years later when the girl had grown up, married, had children, experience the death of her husband, she had an occasion to meet the Christ Child now grown up as Jesus.
She met him just before his death on the cross. She wondered what ever happened to the lamb. She questioned the value of her gift until, when she saw him he referred to himself as "the good shepherd". How would he know anything about sheep? He was a builder, a carpenter; not a shepherd.
She realized the reason he knew about sheep when he referred to himself that way he was affirming her gift to him. She gave him a lamb and he spoke of himself as the good shepherd.
The sermon was not well received. I think I wasn't convincing. People felt the story was not true and I had made it all up.
I think it must have been someone like that who helped Jesus know the value of children and to find the image of what he was. I think when Jesus said, "Let the children come to me and forbid them not; for to such belongs to the Kingdom of Heaven.
A child's gift was glory to God. She gave the Christ Child a lamb and he became to "good shepherd". She was just a child and Jesus said it was children who are 'fit for the Kingdom of God.
Why do you think she gave the baby Jesus a sheep? Why do you think she did not?
Why do you think Jesus referred to children as being fit for the Kingdom of God if not impressed with what children can do.
If you have thoughts on this write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. If you would like to share your thoughts with other you are encouraged to write and click on the box below.
I look forward to reading your ideas.
Charles Schuster
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1 comment:
I think Jesus said that children are fit for the Kingdom of God because they act from their hearts in an innocent way. Their actions are not the result of ego or agendas or ulterior motives. If that's true of the shepherd's daughter, would she have given away something that didn't belong to her? While I like the image of the lamb, it seems more likely to me that she'd give the Christ Child something that meant a lot to her. It might have been a pretty stone she'd found or maybe she shared a special morsel of food -- feeding Him as he would feed others.
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