Sometimes you hear a story so much, you think it’s the only way that story could’ve ever happened. The people, places, and events are so familiar you can’t imagine it happening any other way. It’s only when we consider all the different ways things could’ve happened that we start to realize how amazing the true story is. Christmas is kind of like that. There are so many ways things could’ve gone differently- different ways people could’ve reacted, places things could’ve happened, people God could’ve used. Which is what makes the story of the shepherds so beautiful. They didn’t need to be there at all. The only reason they are there is because God chose to put them there- because he chose to incorporate them into the greatest story of all time. And that little insight tells us so much about how God has chosen to work in this world.