His eyes pierced the darkness and his ears were tuned to the sounds of the night. His brothers even boasted that he could smell a lion two hills away. Would life ever change? He would remind himself of the story of King David. A shepherd... A king. Why not? For now he would be content to watch his father's flocks, and if necessary, defend them with his life.

The last rays of the sun dipped below the Judean hills. Matthias tossed some brush onto a few burning embers.

"Who's there?" he suddenly shouted. Matthias had heard a sound. He was sure of it. "Nathaniel.. Aaron..?" There was no answer. Matthias' knuckles turned white as he gripped his staff. His brothers should be along at anytime.

The breeze began to pick up. The wind whipping between the rocks seemed to have a musical quality. Every muscle in his body began to tighten. Matthias was overwhelmed by a feeling of fear that he could find no equal to in his experiences as a shepherd.

Not a man, nor beast could affect him this way. "Nathaniel! Aaron!" he cried out in almost desperation. His heart pounded against his ribs. He threw more brush on the fire, desperately trying to see into the darkness.

"The sheep!" The thought hit him suddenly, "How are the sheep?" He turned from the fire. As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he could see the outline of the flock. They seemed quite safe and very much at peace. Watching them began to restore a feeling of tranquility to Matthias.

His father's sheep, they were at times the most senseless animals. But, he loved them. He fought for them and he would die for them. Simeon's sons were known as good shepherds. Matthias would never let his father down.

The shepherd leaned his seventeen-year-old body against a rock and tried to relax. The breeze tickled his nose. He took a deep breath. Sweetness filled his nostrils. He smelled a fragrance that was so sweet he could almost taste it. The feeling of fear was gone, but a sense of awe was rising in his spirit.

The angel stood inches from Matthias. The sweet fragrance of his breath was the only clue Matthias had of the heavenly messenger's presence. The angel stared into Matthias. He admired the man's spirit, his humility, and his love for his flock. No wonder this man was chosen to be a witness. "In the image of God..." he mumbled to himself.

"The others are almost here captain," said another angel hovering above the seven-foot tall warrior.

"What a glorious night!" The captain thought as he sprung into the air, "and my Matthias is a part of it."

"Afraid of the dark?"

Matthias jumped when he heard the voice. "Where have you been?" Matthias growled.

"Gathering more firewood," Aaron laughed.

"It's going to take a lot of timber to keep the sky lit up all night," Nathaniel added. They both roared as Matthias picked up another stick and walked over to the fire. Suddenly the sky was ablaze.

"Glory to God!" shouted the captain.

"Open their eyes," a resonant voice sounded. The messenger drew his sword and swung it at the shepherds. The glistening metal passed through the heads of the boys, but left no mark.

The shepherds fell with their faces to the ground. Matthias felt he couldn't move and didn't want to try. Nathaniel and Aaron kept mumbling, "We're going to die!"

In glowing radiance, the angel stood before them, his sword flashing with the glory of God. "Do not be afraid," he said putting his sword back in its sheath.

The shepherds looked up. The light that shone around them was brighter than the brightest day. The light was so white and so pure, like fine silk. Their eyes seemed to drink it in. The glory of the Lord hugged them and they knew a joy that surpassed all understanding.

The angel spoke about a child that had been born that day. Their messiah had come. Tears came to their eyes as they heard about the baby wrapped in strips of cloth lying in a manger. They listened in awe as they realized the angel was inviting them, common shepherds, to see their messiah.

"Glory to God! May His kingdom reign forever!" the angel began to shout. Immediately shouts of joy and praise filled the air. The shepherds looked up and saw a great multitude of angels. They looked like the mightiest of men, but their countenance was one of peace. The more they praised God, the mightier they seemed. With every shout of glory they seemed to shine brighter and purer.

The light began to fade and the angels stepped back into heaven. The messenger once more touched his sword to the shepherd's eyes, and disappeared.

The cracking of the fire welcomed the shepherds back to the hillside. They stared at each other not knowing whether to laugh or cry. There just were no words in the human vocabulary strong enough to express the emotions they felt.

Finally, Nathaniel spoke, "Matthias, when you build a fire, you don't mess around."

Matthias smiled, "You two watch the sheep. I have to go into Bethlehem."

Nathaniel looked at the youngest brother, Aaron, "Watch the sheep."

Aaron began prodding the sleeping sheep. "Get up! We're going to Bethlehem."

The town was an hour walk from the pasture. The shepherds made it in half the time. The streets were silent when the three shepherds and their flock came into town. The entourage came to a stable by an inn at the edge of town. Matthias and Nathaniel walked to the door. Aaron watched as they opened the door and went in.

He looked at the sheep. They seemed alright. Aaron walked toward the door. He peered into the dark stable. "What are you doing?" Aaron jumped as Matthias put his hand on his shoulder.

"I was looking for you." Aaron defended himself.

"We walked all the way through. No one was in there," said Matthias.

"Where are the sheep?" Nathaniel asked as he popped through the front door of the stable.

"They're right..." Aaron's heart sank as he looked around and saw no sheep.

*****

The flock of sheep had a special liveliness in their step as they trotted down the road. They seemed compelled to follow the strange man that was leading them. The angelic captain smiled as he approached a tiny stable at the back of an overcrowded inn.

Matthias ran to the street. Half way down the road he caught a glimpse of a lamb that was straggling behind the rest. "This way!" he yelled as he raced after the sheep. Nathaniel and Aaron joined in the chase. Matthias rounded the corner of the inn and came to an abrupt stop.

Before him was the entire flock. Their strange position captured his attention. Aaron and Nathaniel caught up. "What are they doing?" asked Aaron.

One by one the sheep approached the doorway of the stable. They sat upon their front legs and then would get up and the next one would do the same. "They appear to be bowing," Matthias answered.

The three shepherds stood and watched as the last of the sheep presented themselves. The little lamb that had straggled behind did not bow. He stepped on into the stable.

"You go first," Nathaniel said to Aaron.

"Why me? You're older," Aaron protested. Neither one noticed that Matthias was already by the door. They stopped talking when they saw Matthias kneel as the sheep did. Both of them joined their older brother.

"We don't mean to intrude..." Matthias began to speak. His mouth was dry and the words seemed to stick in his throat. "Your child is very special, he is the..." A thousand thoughts began to flood his mind. Would these people think he was crazy? The entire time the child seemed to be looking at him like he knew the innermost secrets of his heart. He bowed again and managed to whisper "Messiah".

Nathaniel spoke, "We came to see the child. We heard about him from...well, you might not believe this, but an angel of the Lord told us about a baby."

Aaron looked at Joseph, "The angel told us to look for him in a manger. Your child is...is...the Savior...He is the Christ."

Joseph looked at the shepherds. He smiled. "I know," he said calmly. "He is Emmanuel...He is God with us. At least that's what the angel told us." The shepherds breathed a sigh of relief.

"We call him Jesus," Mary added. "Jesus, that's a nice name." sighed Aaron.

"Baa..." went the little lamb as he grabbed a mouthful of hay from the manger. The baby laughed. Matthias turned a little red and scooped up the lamb into his arms. He started to apologize then stopped. He looked down at the little lamb. It was perfect, without spot or blemish.

"Would you..." Matthias stammered as he gently rubbed the lamb's head. "Would you take this lamb as a gift for the child?" Aaron and Nathaniel nodded in agreement.

"We would be pleased to," Mary answered. Matthias found a soft pillow of hay to set the lamb on. As he stood up he looked once again into the baby's eyes. "He is...the one," said Matthias as he turned to leave. The three shepherds left the stable and gathered up their flock.

As the brothers climbed the hill out of Bethlehem they turned and looked back at the stable. "Look!" shouted Aaron. The shepherds stood in amazement as a brilliant star appeared.

"A baby...a carpenter...The King!" thought Matthias as a smile spread across his face.

"What next?" asked Nathaniel.

The brothers began walking up a path. The sheep followed behind them. Matthias stretched out his arms and drew his brothers close to him. "We tell the world, my brothers. We tell the world!"