The Shepherds in Your Manger Scene

The Shepherds in Your Manger Scene – and Our Caring Shepherd

Guest Post by Lauri Lemke Thompson

 “Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker; for He is our God and we are the people of His pasture, the flock under His care.” Psalm 95:6-7 (NIV)

During December, we may feel disappointment, loneliness, even despair. Worry can plague us. Just because Christmas is a-comin’, this month is not merry and bright – or holly and jolly – for everyone.

Looking at our nativity set the other day, I glanced at the shepherds. Some scholars believe that the lambs under their care that night might have been destined to eventually be sacrificed at the temple to atone for the peoples’ sins.

If true, that is certainly symbolic, is it not? The baby the shepherds ran to see would become the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. It would do away with the need for repeated animal sacrifices. Jesus’ death would be a sacrifice once for all – and for all time.

Sarah Young, in her book Jesus Calling, writes that only Jesus’ Incarnation on that first, long-ago Christmas could fulfill our neediness. Since God went to such extreme measures to save us from our sins, she asserts, we can be assured that He will give us all we need throughout our entire lives.

Young refers us to Romans 8:32: “He Who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all – how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things?” (NIV) [Italics mine.]

If we really believed that we are like sheep, under the care of the loving Good Shepherd we’ve heard about in Psalm 23, yes, we’d still have our problems – but we wouldn’t feel so unsettled, would we? Maybe peace on earth could be ours.

“The Lord is my Shepherd,” David writes in that famous psalm, “I lack nothing.” (NIV). David goes on to list some of the Good Shepherd’s provisions for us: rest, refreshment, guidance, His presence and comfort no matter what happens, and overflowing blessings. You may want to reread it.

David concludes Psalm 23 with “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” (KJV). [Italics mine.]

“All the days” for you and me include those in December 2025. Let’s take time this month to treasure His loving care for us. 

A Wisconsin native, Lauri Lemke Thompson appreciates living in the lovely Ozark Mountains in Branson, Missouri. She is active in Christian Women’s Connection (Stonecroft) and the Ozarks Chapter of the American Christian Writers. Her two books, Hitting Pause and Pressing Forward, are collections of her columns, articles, and devotions. Her bimonthly column appears in the Branson Globe newspaper.