And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night…

A phrase we thoughtlessly read over is laden with meanings layered deep into culture. The marginalized, disenfranchised members of society were ignored by community and forbidden from worshipping, like spiritual vagabonds looking for acceptance and community. They—like the animals they cared for—were seen as a commodity; needed but invaluable.

Their faces leathered and worn from hillside sunrises. Their clothing dirty and worn from nights on the fields, cold and long. Their scent, strong and pungent from treks with animals every sunrise and sunset.

Over two thousand years ago, a messenger of great tiding of wondrous joy appeared to shepherds. Not kings, dignitaries, or social elite. A manifestation of God’s glorious creation revealed it’s presence to them, the forgotten. The alone. The ignored.

The first documented announcement of salvation was given to a section of society no one cared about. The marginalized. The disenfranchised. The forgotten.

Monday we celebrate the anticipated birth of the One to give us the greatest gift known to humankind. The gift of eternal life and perpetual love. But today, may we remember shepherds wander in fields called cities, looking for someone to worship with, be accepted by, and live among. The disenfranchised, the marginalized, the alone need to hear great tidings of wondrous joy.

We get to play a part of the Christmas story two thousand years after it first occurred by heralding the birth of our humble Savior born in a simple way to common people.

May we never forget the simple beauty of the gospel by ignoring those who the gospel was intended for. The rich and the poor. The old and the young. The wise and the simple. The loved and the forgotten.

Herald the Good News.

But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.”  —Luke 2