Calmer Way to Christmas for December 8th

Luke 2:8
In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night.

While most of the world sleeps, some people are still up. In our culture police cruise the streets, paramedics await a call, convenience store workers exchange goods for cash, and shift-workers take their turn. There are also those who wish they could sleep, but for some reason are still up—or up again.

And then it happens…something out of the ordinary occurs that only a few will see.

I remember being at a family gathering late into the night one summer. We were at my uncle’s house when all of a sudden we noticed a peculiar red glow in the Southeastern sky. Strange. We got in our cars. We had to go see. It was a fire. An old barn had caught—or more likely been set—on fire. We alone were there to see it—and to call the fire department and such—all because we were still up.

Somebody always is—just like the shepherds who were keeping watch over their flock by night.