[7] 110 O Come, All Ye Faithful

---‘See how the shepherds,
---Summoned to his cradle,
Leaving their flocks, draw nigh to gaze;
---We too will thither
---Bend our joyful footsteps:
O come let us adore him, Christ the Lord.’

I just spent an hour of my evening reorganising my facebook profile to change it from the old format to the new. I used the switch-over to trim some out-of-date info, and to add some new. It was like moving into a new house; my whole life on show as I pack it, piece by piece, into boxes. As I’m packing, I always think that I have far too many clothes, and more sheet music than I could possibly need. But, when it’s all in bags and boxes, sitting on the floor, It seems that the assemblage of possessions should be bigger – as if I should have accumulated more flotsam for my 21 (nearly) years.

If shepherds from the time of Jesus had access to facebook, it wouldn’t have made very interesting reading. As you diligently stalked ‘Ewan Sheepherder’ you’d discover that he is 24, born in Bethlehem, lives in Bethlehem, works in Bethlehem, single, interested in ‘sheep’, activities include ‘sheep’, likes include ‘sheep’. He plays Farmville. All his photos are from work socials. His profile picture is him on Bethlehem Hill, crook in-hand, looking out over a sea of wool. Perhaps his friend and colleague ‘Shaun Sheppard’ has fraped him, for now his status reads ‘Ewan Sheepherder loves cattle (and men)’.

My point is that the most precious thing in these shepherds’ lives is their sheep. To leave their flock on the mountain is to risk them being scattered across the countryside, or picked off by predators, or mixed in with a rival’s flock. To leave their sheep on the mountain is to risk everything, to leave everything behind.

The phrase ‘leaving their flocks’ is not an arbitrary line in the ‘shepherds verse’ of a well-known carol. Indeed, the whole verse could be seen as arbitrary, given the perceived need to cover the whole Nativity story in one song. However, this phrase is at the core of the shepherds’ tale. As an example to all of us, they leave their worldly belongings to worship Jesus. This is incredible; imagine leaving your job, your interests, your activities, your ‘likes’, and answering the call of the Christ-child!

As a taste of what that would be like, have a look at your own info page on facebook. Are you ready to leave all that stuff behind, and ‘thither bend [your] joyful footsteps’? I’m pretty sure I’m not ready myself. It’s quite a challenging message. I am sure however that it must be hugely liberating to cut yourself free from all that keeps you from loving God. I pray for the strength to make that change to my life, however incremental the change may be. Thanks be to God.