An old story tells of a little boy
who misheard the lyrics of Nathum Tate’s classic carol, While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks. The boy was heard singing, “While shepherds
washed their socks at night and hung them all around….”
The little boy’s innocent mistake
makes the story funny, so does the notion of shepherds wearing socks. According to fashion designer Ramsaa B, socks
were known long before the first Christmas.
In the eighth-century BC, socks made of animal skins were often worn by
actors in Greek comedies (some of us still get laughs with our socks). Yet shepherds in New Testament times wore
sandals without socks; they were into cool footwear long before
Birkenstock.
Corny as the little boy’s story may
be, it suggests an important point. Just
like sheep need to be watched, socks need to be washed.
Had the shepherds been washing
their socks, nothing would have been wrong.
The duties of everyday life are duties.
They must be done. Only the super
rich or the super famous might wear a pair of socks once and then throw them
away. Dolly Parton claims she never
wears the same clothes twice but I hope that’s not true of Bill Gates. Though I’m certain Bill doesn’t wash his own socks.
Be you rich or poor, famous or
unknown, if you wear them your socks will need to be washed.
Like sheep need to be watched.
The shepherds did a monotonous,
sometimes thankless job that had to be done.
One night, while doing that job,
they witnessed God at work in a wondrous way.
Our jobs may be monotonous, repetitive, unremarkable, even thankless but
the shepherds experience reminds us we may witness God at work even in a most
unlikely venue.
Seventeenth century Carmelite
monk Brother Lawrence is famous for addressing God as, “Lord of pots and pans
and things…” Lawrence who was not a gifted theologian had been assigned to the
monastery kitchen. Yet, in that noisy
place of ceaseless labor, he enjoyed the presence of God. That enabled him to pray for God to allow him
to minister to others by “getting meals and washing
up the plates.” At the same time, as he stood over the steaming, soapy water he
had opportunity to witness God’s grace at work in the lives of others laboring
in the kitchen and in his own life.
Because
the shepherds were on those hills, doing their unglamorous work, they had an
opportunity to see God fulfill ancient promises and initiate a work that would
change the future.
In your
workplace, be it a factory, an office, a classroom, a store, or a kitchen, you
have the same opportunity. You may see
God keep his promises to comfort the grieving, encourage the fearful,
strengthen the weak, and forgive the penitent.
And you may see the one who has been touched by God take the first steps
toward a new future. But, like the shepherds, you have to stay awake, keeping
your eyes open, your ears attuned to a heavenly voice saying, “Behold.”
The
shepherds were taken by surprise. They weren’t expecting to see “a vast,
heavenly army.” (Luke 2:13 NET) But now, because of Christmas, we can embark on
each day knowing we might see God at work somewhere. We won’t see a baby in a
manger but we might see a life changed by that Babe.
