On Shepherds and Public Relations

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0 height="100%"><tr> <td valign="top" width=220 BGCOLOR="#CCCC99" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Practical Spirituality"><U>WMEades.com Home Page</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="http://www.counseling-waco.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.counseling-waco.com"><U>Counseling-Waco Home Page</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="http://wacopartnership.org" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://wacopartnership.org"><U>Waco Partnership for Psychological and Spiritual Care Home Page</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="http://practicalspirituality.wordpress.com/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://practicalspirituality.wordpress.c"><U>Practical Spirituality Blog</U></A></div> <div> _________________________</div> <div> <A HREF="aboutme.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="About Me and My Work"><U>About Me and My Work</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id518.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Making an Appointment"><U>Making an Appointment</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="policies.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Policies"><U>Policies</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="cost.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Cost of Counseling"><U>Cost of Counseling</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="helpfularticles.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Helpful Articles"><U>Helpful Articles</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="directions.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Directions to Office"><U>Directions to Office</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="booksummaries.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Book Summaries"><U>Book Summaries</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="counseling.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Pastoral Counseling"><U>Pastoral Counseling</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="premarriage.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Premarriage Counseling"><U>Premarriage Counseling</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="enneagram.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Enneagram"><U>The Enneagram</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="faith.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="When Faith Doesnt Work"><U>When Faith Doesn't Work</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="http://www.centexintergroup.org/schedule/schedule_local.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.centexintergroup.org/schedule"><U>Alcoholics Anonymous Mtgs</U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="http://www.theravive.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.theravive.com"><U><IMG SRC="83da03c0.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="60" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> <div> <I><B> </B></I><FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I><B> “I’ve never told anyone this before.  In fact, I’ve never even admitted this to myself until now...”</B></I></FONT></div> </td> <td valign="top" BGCOLOR="#EEEEEE" TEXT="#080000"> <div> The holiday season’s richness comes from the importance of this time in both the Jewish and Christian faiths.  Perhaps a reflection on a key moment in the Christian story of the birth of Jesus will be of some interest or help to you, regardless of your personal faith commitments.<I> </I></div> <bR> <div> <I>And in that region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.  And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around the, and they were filled with fear....  And the angel said to them, “Be not afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which will come all the people; for to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord (Luke 2:8-11)  </I><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >   </FONT></div> <bR> <div> It seems to me that God has never had much of a flair for marketing.  The biggest announcement since “Let there be light” takes place in some field, in the middle of the night, in front of a few filthy men who were probably dong the only job available to them.  What kind of a way is that to kick off the redemption of humanity?</div> <bR> <div> Have you met any shepherds?  I haven’t.  I’ve seen some pictures, and perhaps spent a few minutes with a PBS documentary (Shepherding: A Lost Art...).  I think we’ve got one of those Precious Moments Christmas Tree ornaments that’s a shepherd, but I’ve never been around a real one.  I can imagine they’re pretty regular folks with dirty boots.  The shepherds in the field who first heard of Jesus’ birth were not regular folks.  They were regular outcasts.  To put it mildly, no one thought highly of shepherds.  The nature of their work meant that they were never able to observe the religious rituals of the time, which meant they were always “ceremonially unclean” (and you can bet they were unclean in more ways than just ceremonially!).  Most decent folks would have preferred that the shepherds just stay out on the hillside, out of sight, and out of mind.  And yet the shepherds are the first to hear the announcement.  What do you suppose the message is here?</div> <bR> <div> <I><B> </B></I><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I><B> “I’ve never told anyone this before.  In fact, I’ve never even admitted this to myself until now...”</B></I></FONT></div> <bR> <div> I wonder how many times I’ve heard similar words in the counseling room.  Such words often foreshadow a holy moment.  Such words often bring me into conversation with the “shepherd” that lives within a person in pain.  And as the shepherd emerges from hiding, he or she can finally hear the angel’s announcement: “Be not afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy...”</div> <bR> <div> God may not have a flair for marketing, but God knows transformation.  When a person is willing to let that most despised and shameful part of himself or herself come out of hiding, then the possibilities for change multiply quickly.  We all work hard to keep the shepherd of in the field, out of consciousness.  God is working hard to sneak an angel out into the sky.</div> <bR> <div> Peace and Good Will</div> <bR> <bR> <div> Wes</div> </td> </tr></table></body>