For our Advent candle lightings this year, our church is having actors/actresses from our drama ministry are performing historic-fiction monologues of first-century individuals who are processing the words of Christ from a certain angle and then celebrating his birth. The one below is written by a creative and theological volunteer, Summar. Enjoy!
My name is Hadassah. I am the wife of Simeon the shepherd. Oi! What a life is the life of a shepherd’s family. Much drudgery and toil. My husband must work long hours day and night tending and caring for our sheep. He must be very careful, for they are our livelihood.
Our sheep have many enemies: disease, wild animals, thieves, and dangerous terrain. Not to mention the sheep themselves, they are not the smartest creatures that ever lived. They will follow the wrong one right to their deaths. If they fall over, they can’t get up without help, and they are easily frightened and confused.
The life of a shepherd’s family is full of hard work, and it’s very monotonous. Every day the same thing – watching the men come in and go out to take the flocks to pasture. So when something exciting happens in the town, or someone new comes – it is very momentous.
So this man named Jesus came to our village, teaching. Everyone went out to hear him. I have never heard any man speak the way he did. His presence was so commanding, yet so gentle at the same time. Even though he was a carpenter by trade, he came to our village, full of shepherds, and spoke about shepherding as if he was one. He knew so much. My friends and I were amazed at how well he understood the life of a shepherd and the ways of sheep.
Last month, he taught something very interesting to us shepherd families , he talked about the difference between the hired hands and the actual shepherds – how they will run away and leave the sheep unprotected at the slightest sign of danger. How true this is – just last year a thief managed to get into the pasture with our sheep and that rascal Elias just ran off in fear and left the sheep all alone to be stolen. We lost 10 sheep that day!
My husband will always try to protect his sheep and frighten away the wolves and thieves. But this Jesus, he then said something remarkable he said that He was the good shepherd and he lays down my life for the sheep. Now any decent shepherd will do all he can to protect his sheep, within reason, but if it is between my husband’s life or the sheep -well- he would let them die. But this Jesus said he was a shepherd who would lay his own life down for his sheep. He called us his sheep.
Well, now -all this time later- that unusual teaching makes sense to me. I suppose he’s right. We are a lot like sheep. We are frightened and confused, and we often follow the wrong ones even to the point of death. And when we fall in life, it is very hard to get back up on our own. Now it has happened: He did die and willingly lay down his life. He obeyed Father God’s commands and gave his life for his sheep. I now understand that I am His sheep and he saved my life from the thief of my soul.
I light this candle in honor of my good shepherd who knows me and willingly laid down his life for me.
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