In the Bible stories we teach our children, the characters sometimes seem larger than life. David conquered Goliath. Moses parted the Sea. Noah built an ark before there were raindrops. Yes, they were special and chosen by God for special purposes, but different from us? Well, no. They were regular people that heard God's calling and choose to be obedient. The same is true of the shepherds in the Christmas story. God chose the shepherds to be the first to lavish adoration on the newborn Jesus. Real people, encountering God's messengers, and living out their faith in the middle of the night - that's what this story is all about. Let us imagine we are sitting by the fire with the shepherds, and see the Christmas story from the shepherd's point of view.