What we can learn from the story is obedience changes lives.
When we read about the sheepherders we have to understand they were marginalized people.
Not overly accepted in the towns because of appearance and their dirty jobs.
The majority of people in the villages had nothing to do with them.
They were rough and rugged and very little would terrify them.
We are not told what the angel looked like when it was standing next to them around the fire.
I would imagine it was startling to see someone there.
The sky brilliantly showing choirs of angels and light had to have been startling for them too.
They knew the skies they had seen them every night, but this night was different for them.
I find it interesting the angels sang in the language of the sheepherders; so they could hear and understand the words that were spoken.
What would it have been like to see the angel choir come from heaven and then go back?
When they decided to ‘go see’ this baby born in the manger; we are told they ran as fast as they could.
Now we have to remember, they would never leave their sheep. It was never an option to leave them unprotected, yet we are told that’s what they did.
What can we learn from these rough and rowdy men? They had a deep desire to go see for themselves.
They left to go see Mary and Joseph and baby Jesus. Seeing, made them believe and then they became credible witnesses declaring what they saw to everyone in the town.
They spoke with impressionable language and believable attitudes and for the first time others were impressed by them. They had value.
The verse said, [all were impressed] not some, but everyone.
They were sort of like the first missionaries declaring the truth of what they had experienced.
What we can learn from the story is the life changing ability of little baby who is the Savior.
They were marginalized men whose only purpose was to tend to sheep and then they became truth tellers.
Transforming them as their life altering experience took place.
It is all a part of the miracle.