26th December Christmas eflection 9 A sheep's life

 

 

Little Bo Peep has lost her sheep

And doesn’t know where to find them

Leave them alone and they’ll come home

Wagging their tales behind them.

 Yes off course we will. That’s right. We’ll just wander right back home on our own, managing to dodge the ravines, the wolves, the mountain lions.

It might be a lovely song but Bo Peep obviously has no ideas what being a sheep is like. I mean just take today, the entire flock had been unsettled as if something was about to happen. Barry and Barbara had wandered off...again. One of the younger lambs, Barnabas had got himself tangled up amongst some thorns and had to be cut free, which he liked about as much as the sharp thorns judging from his kicking and biting.

And I haven’t even mentioned Barbie, Bart and Barnaby who were too nervous to cross the stream and had to be carried across the freezing waters on the shoulders of the shepherds. Sometimes we sheep are just not grateful. Thankfully we were all now safely gathered together and even though the flock was still nervous for some unknown reason, the shepherds could afford to relax.

They were the shepherds, and we were the sheep and to quote from the psalms, the Lord was their shepherd. Quite a coincidence that don’t you think?

Suddenly as if the very stars above our heads had exploded, blinding white lights filled the sky. And the sound of voices singing filled the air. The shepherds looked terrified and huddled together even closer than us sheep who were too busy eating grass to really pay much attention. But the shepherds....I’ve never seen them look so worried

What on earth was happening? The very hill under our feet seemed to tremble and shake. Then as our eyes slowly became accustomed to the light it became obvious that it wasn’t just shepherds and sheep out there in the darkness. There was something else, shimmering, glowing, hovering! And then it spoke, in a voice that seemed to pierce our very souls...”Do not be afraid!”

 

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