The Good Shepherd

Hi Mom,

I hope you are having a good day today and a good week. I must admit that I have had better Mondays.

On Saturday I received a distress call from Wes that his car had broken down. It's been in the shop ever since and has been costly to repair. Fortunately we had the money in savings to help him out and we'll be able to get him back on the road today. Then last night Brien called and said that his car had "blown-up." So we don't even know what that repair will entail and are waiting to find out the damage. We're hoping that it didn't actually blow-up, but that the electrical belt blew causing a flash and some smoke. Normally I would be in a panic about the money and how we would be able to afford helping the boys. But last night as Dane and I knelt to pray I felt peace in my heart and I knew that the Lord would help us. Brien was very upset and anxious as you can imagine because he has absolutely no money and he knew that we had already helped out Wes. Because of that peace in my heart I was able to assure Brien. I simply told him that we are going through trials right now. I told him that instead of fretting we needed to pray for direction in finding out the best way to deal with his car and that no matter what if we put our faith and trust in the Lord, he will provide a way for us. It was a wonderful opportunity to put into action all of the things that I have been learning and writing about these past several days and to bear a testimony of that to my son.

Well the miracles are already beginning to happen. I called the repair shop where Wes' car is being serviced and they found something else that was wrong. The air compressor needed to be replaced. When I talked to the service manager he said that he knew we were basically tapped out and had already spent as much as we could to get the car fixed. He said that they would take care of this latest problem free of charge. They ordered a used compressor and are also giving us the labor for free. I think they deserve some orange rolls, don't you? Guess what I'll be doing this week? Not only that, but Lucy currently has two cars. She was given her sister's car by her niece and nephew after she passed away. She hasn't been able to register it yet because the will is still being probated, but she does have it here in North Carolina and is driving it. So that frees up her other car and she has generously offered the boys use of it while we are getting things figured out. See MIRACLES abound. Lucy has been amazing and the Lord is working through her to bless us and to give an important example to both boys. The example of pulling together as a family to get through life's challenges. I'm also hoping that through these trials we'll be able to teach the boys some important lessons about budgeting, frugality and preparedness.

It's very humbling to see how choosing to have a positive outlook and perspective during times of trial and putting your faith in the Lord can change you. I'm confident that no matter what happens with the car(s) that everything will work out and we will all learn valuable lessons and grow closer as a family.

Today I wanted to talk about the Shepherds. They have always been my most favorite characters in the story, aside from Jesus of course. I remember when we would gather with the Johnsons for Christmas eve and you and Aunt Mary Jean would have us put on a mini-pageant acting out the Christmas story. I always had to be Mary. I never thought that was quite right, but I've worked though that and have forgiven you :-)

What I really wanted to be was a Shepherd!  The beauty of the Christmas story is its simplicity--which is wrapped around intricate theology. The angel's encouter with the shepherds that first Christmas night reveals dual aspects of commonplace humanity and majestic deity.

On the scale of occupational excitement, shepherding is probably low on the list. Oh sure, there's the occasional shooing away of a predatory animal, but an accurate fling with a sling can remedy that rather quickly. For the most part, shepherds experience the serenity of the landscape while listening to the rhythmic baas of the sheep herd. Such a job might seem nice in the abstact, but after a couple of decades living with farm animals, one might be inclined to wish for a different career. On the social scale shepherds were not highly esteemed for their contributions.

In this cultural context, Heavenly Father chose to make the greatest announcement of all time to those who were the least sophisticated. The angel didn't proclaim Jesus' birth to the temple courtyard in Jerusalem; he didn't wake the super religious Pharisees with his declaration; and he totally bypassed the upper-class Sadducees. Instead, he went to the working-class shepherds. By doing so, the angel emphasized the utter simplicity of God's message: No snooty education or self-indulgent social status was required to understand that the Messiah had arrived. And that's why the angel declared the announcement "good tidings of great joy, which shall be to ALL people."

So the shepherds, who had the least credibility to speak about religious issues, were the ones who brought God's message to the masses. They got the buzz started by telling everyone they could find. Ordinarily, a shepherd spouting off about theological matters might have landed himself in a padded stable pending psychiatric testing. But there was something sincere and believable about the testimony of these ragtag herders. Instead of natural skepticism, astonishment filled those who heard their message. The simplicity of the message and the humility of the shepherds made the report believable.

There is a deeper theological message in the angel's news to the shepherds. Since the Jews had been waiting centuries for their Messiah, they assumed they had proprietary ownership of Him. He was "their guy" and the changes He would institute would be for the exclusive benefit of Jews. But we know that's not the case.

The "all people" announced by the angel to the shepherds includes you, me and everyone. The Messiah was born a Jew as God had promised, and He came to bring salvation and freedom to all of God's children.

Christ is known by many names. Some found in Isaiah are, wonderful, counselor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. My favorite of all is "The Good Shepherd." I love reading in Luke, chapter 15, where Jesus tells the parables of the lost sheep, the lost coin and the prodigal son. In those simple stories Christ is illustrating just how important each of us is to Him and to the Father.

I was reminded of this during Elder Ballards talk, "That the Lost May Be Found," given in the April conference. He said, "Now, if for any reason you individually or as a family have lost your way, then you need only apply the Saviors teachings from Luke, chapter 15, to correct your course. Here the Savior tells of the effort of the shepherd searching for his lost sheep, of a woman searching for a lost coin, and of the welcome received by the prodigal son returning home. Why did Jesus teach these parables? He wanted us to know that none of us will ever be so lost that we cannot find our way again through His Atonement and His teachings."

The "good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people, given by the angel to the shepherds, is still applicable today.

Merry Christmas Mom. I've posted a little video below. A little shout out to Dad and our Irish heritage. It's the Mormon Tabernacle Choir singing the Irish hymn, "The King of Love, My Shepherd Is."




"The King of love my shepherd is, whose goodness faileth never. I nothing lack if I am His, and He is mine forever!"

Till Tomorrow,
Holley