I like the fact that God's first public announcement about the birth of His Son was to shepherds out in the field. Plain, ordinary men who were doing plain, ordinary work on a plain, ordinary day that was made extraordinary by the appearance of a multitude of angels singing, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom He is pleased!"
It pleases me that God did not plan to go to "church" or to the priests or the religious leaders or the political leaders to make this world changing announcement. I don't know why that is except that it helps to assure me that God really cares about ordinary people living ordinary lives...which means me. His salvation is for ALL people. His Word is to be shared with ALL people. People without the training or "learning" to understand but who simply believe.
When the angels left, the shepherds said let's go find this baby and see what has happened in Bethlehem. No questioning, no hesitation just an immediate trip into town. My prayer is that I would respond with the same urgency, the same faith when God speaks to me. Luke 2:8-20
I think that even more than ordinary, they were ritually unclean and wouldn't be allowed into synagogues or the temple. Amplification of mercy and love.
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