Upheld In Announcements

Amos shivered in the night and pulled a piece of scraggly grass through his fingers. He picked up his shepherd’s staff and scraped it back and forth over the hard hill’s surface, stirring up a bit of dust. Another boring night.

He glanced over the sheep in his care. Contrary creatures.  But, all of them were quiet for now. Safe and content.

He shifted his feet closer to the fire and pulled the folds of his head dress across his shoulders to warm his neck and resumed fiddling with the grass spears.

“I wonder what it would be like to live in the city?” He stared at the lights of Bethlehem below him. He could make out torches lighting the streets if he squinted just  right. His life course was set. Born into a shepherd family, he was expected to continue to care for the sheep long after his aged father passed on.

He often wondered at the adventures the guards on horseback enjoyed. In the daylight he watched them racing across the hills on their steeds brandishing swords playfully at one another and laughing.

And here sat Amos, guarding sheep from four footed marauders. At least, thank the Lord, he didn’t have to guard against thieves thanks to the horseback protectors.

His gaze returned to the valley below. What was it that stirred up his insides to yearn for what he couldn’t even name? His eyes jetted just outside the town. What was that? Some kind of great starlight flooding the hills above some caves. He watched it shimmer gold and white. He couldn’t remember seeing anything like it before. He followed the amazing stream of light up into the sky.

Amos’ heart began to pound and goose bumps popped out over his arms. He noticed the sheep were not so quiet now, they moved about a bit and Amos heard soft bleating.  What did this mean? Why was he suddenly conscious of a stillness that seemed like waiting? But waiting for what? Was there a beast nearby to harm the sheep or was he imagining things because of his restlessness?

“Amos!”

Amos scrambled to his feet, “Father, slow down lest you lose your foothold. What is it?”

Father’s breath came heavily as he negotiated the uneven ground. He dropped his staff next to his son as Amos reached out to steady him.

“I don’t know, son,” he gasped. “But the shepherds over the hillside are watching this magnificent light. Could it–?”

Both men shrank into each other, then fell to the ground as a roar came out of the suddenly lit sky.