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A Different Type of Christmas Story
The Shepherds’ Run
They were a small group of shepherds and they were running through the night down a dusty trail in a barren landscape of desert and mountains. They did not wear Nike or Brooks or New Balance shoes. Some wore sandals and a few were even barefoot. They did not wear tech shirts or moisture wicking shorts. They wore rough wool robes and pulled the bottoms up and tucked them into their belts so that they would not interfere with their running strides. As they warmed up, they pulled their arms out of the sleeves and let the tops of the robes drop down and flop in the wind. Each of them carried a goat skin water bag.
They did not have flashlights or headlamps or even torches. A great light, more brilliant than any they had ever seen, lit the landscape almost as bright as day. The light had come with the visit of angels who proclaimed the birth of the Messiah. One of the angels told the shepherds to go to Bethlehem to see the child. They never considered not going. Surely if angels sent them on this mission, then the angels would guard their flock. So they ran.
They were simple men. They were men of the earth who made their living tending flocks of sheep in a barren land filled with rock, predators and extreme swings in the weather. They ran at a relaxed pace with short strides and no unnecessary motion. These men were…
