“It seems shepherds are important in your religion?” my friend asked. We were sitting on the floor with a few of our shepherds in Kashmir drinking chai and talking.  Over the course of my visits here I would tell stories about Jesus being the good shepherd, how Jesus laid down his life for His sheep, about David being a shepherd who became King, how he killed the lion and the bear and several other stories.  (I do love telling a good story.)  My friend’s question opened the door for another one. “Yes”, I replied. “Shepherds are very important to God. In fact, when His son Jesus was born, shepherds were the first ones to hear the good news as God sent angels to appear to them in the night sky as they were watching over their flocks.”

For the next several minutes I told the story of how the angel appeared to Mary, a young virgin, and told her the Holy Spirit would come upon her and place the seed of the Son of God in her and that she would give birth to the Savior of the world. I told of Joseph being visited by an angel to tell him to stay with Mary and that the baby was sent from God. How they had to travel while Mary was very pregnant, but all the rooms were full and the only place they could find was a barn, and that the Son of God was born in the presence of cows, sheep, and donkeys. The shepherds sat and listened intently to every word I was saying as I made the story as dramatic as I could (with my friend interpreting). In this culture most of the adults are illiterate so they love stories, and I was really enjoying telling them this one.

I continued to tell them how the shepherds were on the hills watching their flocks at night and the angels of God appeared to them. That the sky was shining bright with the glory of God and the angels told them that the Son of God, the Savior of the world, had been born in a barn. I emphasized to them that the first people to hear this good news were not the rich people, or the King or the government leaders. The first people God wanted to tell about the birth of His son were shepherds.

And now 2000 years later I had the privilege of sitting with my shepherds in the mountains of Kashmir and telling them this same good news. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Savior of the world has been born!  “Yes,” I told them. “Shepherds are very important to God and that is why He has sent this man 10,000 miles from America all the way here to tell you of His love for you.”

I cannot begin to explain the joy that was in my heart to be the first person ever to tell them of the virgin birth of our wonderful Savior! May you, also, be filled with joy as you ponder once again the incredible, humble story we celebrate at Christmas – the birth of Jesus! And when you think about those shepherds 2000 years ago on that Holy Night, please pray for our shepherd friends high in the mountains of Kashmir to also be visited by angels and experience encounters with the Son of God…that He would reveal Himself to them in a very personal way.