Sam the sheep was minding his own business when all of a sudden the sky lit up with angels.  It was so bright.  He couldn’t see because of the shining glory and that was “Baaahd.”  There were lots of voices and lots of singing.  It was so loud he could hear nothing else but angelic singing.  Once his eyes adjusted to the light, the glory of the angels lit up the grass around him… oooh… there was a good patch of grass to eat.  Grass is good.  Sam the sheep was happy the angels were there because now in the middle of the night he could see where the good grass was.  Awesome!  Grass is good. 

After a little while, the night again grew dark because the angels left.  Everything still had a little glow to it though.  It had been dark for a few minutes and he heard the command that they were on the move.  On the move in the middle of the night?  Was the shepherd drunk again?  Did the bright light of the angels fry his brain?  Traveling at night is not good.  He could walk off a cliff like his Uncle Ovine.  Whatever the reason, they were on the move.  He felt sheepish about traveling at night, but then he always did.

Sam was in shear panic as he didn’t know where they were going, but he followed his shepherd anyway.  Somebody mentioned heading to Bethlehem which was okay with him.  The water in Bethlehem was good.  Water is good.  Maybe there would be more food.  Mmmmm… food is good.

Sam asked Suzie next to him if she knew why they were going to Bethlehem.  Admittedly he had been distracted by grass.  Grass is good.  “Ewe don’t know why?” she laughed, “We are going because The Good Shepherd was born and the shepherds are flocking to check Him out.”

“What?” Sam asked Suzie, “You mean I missed out on the announcement about The Good Shepherd because I was eating grass?”

“Yes,” Suzie said as she trotted along.

“That’s baaahd,” Sam said sheepishly. 

He and the shepherds and the rest of the sheep arrived on the outskirts of Bethlehem and went to a stable.  Oh yeah, they were going to stay in a great place tonight.  No sleeping out in the open, oh no, they were sleeping in a barn with a proper feeding trough.  No one was going to pull the wool over his eyes, being in Bethlehem was a great thing!

The shepherds went into the stable and the sheep just kind of stood around outside.  That’s what they did.  Stood around.  Sam the sheep got curious.  The last time he got curious he ended up getting his head stuck in a hole for half a day, but he figured if the shepherd was in there it couldn’t be too bad.  Sam rammed himself past some other sheep and looked inside the barn.

What he saw absolutely shocked him to the wool.

The proper feeding trough in this barn was being used!  They put a human baby in there.  That’s no place for a baby!  Babies belong in a knapsack or in a drawer or something, not in a trough where food goes!  A trough is a place for food!  Mmmmm… food is good.  Then, Sam the sheep heard his shepherd’s voice and he listened because he always listened to the voice of his shepherd.

“The angels told us He is our Savior.  The angels told us He is the Christ.  The angels told us He is God.  Is that true?”  Both the man and the very tired looking woman said yes.  Sam the sheep was looking at The Good Shepherd in the flesh. 

The Good Shepherd is the Savior.

The Good Shepherd is the Christ.

The Good Shepherd is God.

Well, Sam already knew that last one.  God was everyone and everything’s Good Shepherd.  The shepherds starting praying.  Then the shepherds were singing.  The parents just held their kid and took it all in.  Sam understood what he was looking at.  The Almighty God had entered creation and became flesh and made His dwelling among His creation.  That wasn’t just good, but the bestest.

Seeing The Good Shepherd in the flesh was a little underwhelming to tell the truth.  He was a baby.  In a barn.  Taking up space meant for food.  The shepherds seemed overjoyed and were sharing the news with everyone they passed on the way out of town.

Sam told a dog he passed, “Hey The Good Shepherd is here and He will bring people salvation.”

Sam told a cat he passed, “Hey The Good Shepherd is here and He will forgive people of sins.”

Sam told a rabbit he passed, “Hey The Good Shepherd is here and He will lead lost people to God.”

Sam the sheep was never the same after that night.  Would ewe be?