The Gathering of Shepherds:
A Christmas Update from Week of Compassion

Wednesday, December 19, A.D. 2007

Luke 2:8-18

“In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid; for see – I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.’ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!’

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.’ So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them.”

What would the Christmas story be without the shepherds? Wasn’t it they, living in the fields, who were first told the good news? Wasn’t it they, tending their flocks by night, who wandered into the city from the countryside to search for a newborn child? Wasn’t it they, who had the courage to follow their gut instincts, who found the Christ-child lying in a manger? Wasn’t it they, that simple supporting cast of characters - oftentimes barely mentioned, underappreciated and misunderstood - who were the ones in solidarity with a poor, peasant, displaced family?

There is no question that Mary and Joseph were living in poverty. Far from home. On their own. Foreign. Desperate. After all, Jesus was born in a manger. A manger in a filthy, stinky stable! Not exactly a royal birthplace, especially if those first showing up for visiting hours were lowly, working-class shepherds.

As Johnny and I travel across the country and around the world for Week of Compassion, I am keenly aware that we are – all at the same time – meeting and accompanying shepherds, ordinary people doing extraordinary work under horrible circumstances, as well as representing a great group of shepherds in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) who consistently and faithfully demonstrate their solidarity with the poor. You, our Disciples union of shepherds, in cahoots with angels everywhere, are the ones tending your fields with ears open and ready to hear good news and spread great joy to all people. The tending of your fields allows Week of Compassion to help others, around the world, tend their fields.

This past year I have witnessed campesinos and campesinas in Nicaragua form cooperatives and gain access to land that they have never been given the right to own, even though they are the ones to work that land day and night. Their fields are now bursting with beautiful, bountiful crops. Because of their effective community organizing and our partnership, they have installed a rain collection cistern to irrigate the previously parched land. Instead of cutting down trees to sell lumber as their only source of income (contributing to deforestation), they can grow and produce their own food as well as enough extra to sell. Through our support, these peasant farmers have received good news and are now able to spread great joy to others.

I have also watched, quite closely, the progress of the poorest region in Bosnia and Herzegovina slowly, painfully, and thoughtfully come back to life. Many of the fields there are still laden with landmines, rendering them useless. Yet, through our joint initiative, this area of 36 villages is now receiving vocational training, workshops on human rights and advocacy, and access to a community revolving loan fund so they can start their own small businesses. What a thrill it is to see displaced, poor, desperate people regain not only their livelihoods but also their dignity.

In Haiti, I was introduced to the work of young animators who tend the land of the urban slums. At the House of Hope in Port-au-Prince, child domestic workers find an alternative to their otherwise challenging existence. Often sent by their poor families living in the rural areas, these children come – by themselves – into the big city to work inside the home of another family. The House of Hope offers them an education and opportunities for creative expression. Alumni, now acting as animators, work the neighborhoods in search of these children. They are the shepherds keeping watch, literally, by night, tending their flocks as they gather up children who have never been given the chance to be children.

One of the boys served by the House of Hope, a former gang member living in one of the city’s most violent slums, told me this: “My spirit was in darkness. The House of Hope supports me and puts light back in my spirit. Because of Marielli (an animator), who lives in my neighborhood and understands where I come from, I was able to trust and come to the House.” The shepherds of hope are out in full force in Haiti, tending their fields, cultivating their crops, and witnessing each and every day the blooming of a child given new life.

All of this happens because of you, our beloved band of shepherds. Too often, I fear, portrayed as a simple supporting cast of characters - oftentimes barely mentioned, underappreciated and misunderstood – you are the ones in solidarity with the poor, peasant, displaced families Week of Compassion walks with all over the world. For as terrifying as the state of the world can be, and as frightening as messages from God – in whatever form – can be, we have heard the voices of the angels that there is hope for the world. And long after the voices and announcements of the angels can no longer be clearly heard, it is we steadfast shepherds who proclaim the message to the rest of the world: good news! Have you heard? We, indeed, have good news of great joy for all people! Light has come into the world and nothing can overcome it! The despised have been looked upon with favor; the proud have been scattered! The powerful have been brought down; the lowly have been lifted up! The hungry have been filled with good things; the rich have been sent away empty! The promises of God to our ancestors have been fulfilled and will be so for generations to come! Jesus Christ our Savior is born!

May we, precious shepherds of God, continue to tend our fields and spread the good news that together, in solidarity with other ordinary, hard-working, faithful shepherds across the globe, we can proclaim the joy and hope of Christ to all people.

We can’t thank you enough for your generosity and compassion. But we can wish you and yours a very merry and meaningful Christmas. We look forward to all that we will accomplish together in 2008. We are yours in solidarity and service to the gospel that is – indeed - good news. Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace!

- Amy Gopp

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