No doubt, Luke's infancy narrative is everyone's favorite Christmas read. Luke knows how to weave a story, providing intimate details, describing emotions, juxtaposing dramatic characters and events. Can you imagine any Christmas pageant without Luke's narrative?

Notice how Luke's text skillfully moves Mary and Joseph from their residence in Nazareth to the important, holy city of David, Bethlehem. In today's text vs. 8 introduces yet another Davidic component. David was himself a shepherd when he was chosen as king. Among the first divine directives he received was "be shepherd of my people Israel" (2 Samuel 5:2). Likewise, both Ezekiel (34:23) and Micah (5:4) speak of the shepherding qualities of a future Davidic ruler.

For the third time in the infancy narrative an angelic messenger make…