(The Twelve Ways of Christmas, Part 5: The Way of Watching)
Ken Johnson’s answer had become automatic, though dead-on accurate. Whenever someone found out he had flown helicopters for the army in Viet Nam, they would often ask, “So what’s it like to be a pilot in Viet Nam?”
“Months of boredom,” Ken would say, “followed by 15 minutes of sheer terror.”
Ken’s military training, and his subsequent years as a police detective, had made him an expert at noticing things that others were oblivious to. He would pass a random building in a strange city and mutter, “Somethin’ not right going on in there.” He could spot and usually identify one of 18 different kinds of smiles, or when an interviewee was lying or hiding something. But none of his experience or training, including the gritty lessons learned from a failed marriage and some very tense relationships with two of his adult children, could have prepared him for this.
Somebody took a shortcut to Ken Johnson’s heart.
What started as an investigation of alleged child abuse ended with an introduction to Stephanie Sanger, Lakeland’s newest child advocacy investigator. Very professional and obviously experienced, Stephanie was used to attention (mostly unwanted) from men. But this man was different. Their near-instant rapport, Ken’s helpful demeanor, and his attention to details of the case made Stephanie feel at ease.
And Ken? Let’s just say, he discovered entirely new dimensions of discernment. Every detail about her became an object of fascination. Part of it was the intrigue of discovering someone he was attracted to as a person and a professional. But with Stephanie there was much more. He seemed to know her instantly, yet felt compelled to know more, to sense more, be aware of more, understand more. He wanted to experience her contagious faith, and could communicate with her about just about anything. And in a matter of months, Ken the Hard-nosed Detective became Ken the Tender-hearted Watcher. In a biblical sense, Ken the fisherman became Ken the shepherd. Ken Johnson was in love. And as his love grew, so did his awareness of all-things-Stephanie.
Another Group of Watchers
That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.”
Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying,
”Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”
When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”
They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished, but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often. The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them. (Luke 2:8-20, NLT)
Shepherds were the professional watchers of biblical times. Like Ken’s wartime experience, shepherds typically spent day after day, night after night, generally doing the same thing. Yes, there were some anxious moments along the way. The occasional wolf or lost sheep could certainly change the course of their day or night. But none of that was a prelude for God’s “suddenly” that changed the lives of a group of ordinary shepherds forever.
Literally minding their own business, as they did night after night, the shepherds were nearly scared to death when suddenly an angel appeared. Suddenly there was with the angel a heavenly host. Suddenly the angels ascended into heaven, and the night was dark again. But the shepherds were never the same.
It is no coincidence to me that the ones who saw the “suddenlies,” which anybody could have seen, were the watchers – the ones who made a lifetime out of being aware. And ironically, they experienced that while living in a world too busy to notice or care that it was changing forever via a cave in Bethlehem.
A New Definition of Leadership
The Way of Christmas is the Way of Watching. It’s the way of the shepherd – God’s new definition of leadership for a new covenant relationship.
Like the shepherds in the Christmas story, the watchers are the ones who stay awake while the rest of the world sleeps. They are aware and alert to what others are oblivious to. They don’t punch clocks or otherwise check out mentally. The honest truth is, the angel could have disguised himself as a sheep dog and whispered the news in “dogese,” and the shepherds – the watchers – would have noticed.
Watchers have an incredible contentment for life in the moment. While the majority of others get bored or restless easily, watchers stay alert to their own areas of responsibility. They have a keen sense of – and appreciation for – the ordinary.
Like the shepherds, watchers place themselves in positions to see by staying connected with the objects of their interest or responsibility. They engage. They keep the conversation going, keep the information and understanding flowing. The shepherds were “abiding in their fields.” They remained engaged, even in their resting seasons. This is the Way of Watching.
Watchers distinguish themselves from detectives. Detectives also look for details and clues, but do so in an effort to identify a wrongdoer. Watchers do so in an effort to understand a person and express love. That’s what transformed Ken Johnson, and what drove the shepherds – a committed love that would ultimately lay down one’s life for the beloved.
But Watching for What?
A browser in an antique store notices things. Puzzle solvers catch clues. Even a couch potato finds something new on TV every once in a while. What makes the Way of Watching different?
It’s the love filter. Watchers are driven by authentic love. For God. For people. For a cause. And everything they see is filtered through a desire to serve the needs of the Kingdom, the beloved, or the organization.
And so even if it disturbs the tranquility of the sheep, the shepherd shakes them up in order to lead them to new sources of feeding and safety. The shepherd watches for direction (leaders call this vision) in order to provide the finest opportunities for the sheep.
Even if it is temporarily disrupting or painful, the shepherd guides the sheep, sometimes through the most treacherous of places. No sheep gets up in the morning hoping to feel the shepherd’s rod. But every sheep survives to see another season because the shepherd watches for the path.
Even if it risks his own safety or his life, the shepherd stands between his beloved and danger. The lion, the bear, and the wolf are merely hungry. That is no match for the love of one who would lay down his life and risk his own safety to watch for danger.
Even if he must travel many miles, the shepherd knows when and where to take the sheep for food and water. He is always on the alert for the green pastures and still waters that will delight and provide for the sheep. He watches continually for whatever will offer life and renewed strength and hope.
Even if he must halt the progress of the flock, the shepherd will stop at nothing to redeem or rescue a lost sheep. He cares for their wounds and carries them to safe places. His is a love that heals, as he constantly watches for needs, wounds, or separation.
Are You a Watcher?
In order to identify with us, Jesus was born in obscurity into a crazy-busy world. And in order to reveal His heart, God saw to it that somebody paid attention. And who better to get into the action than the watchers of the day?
Like that resting Baby in Bethlehem, someone in your life needs what Stephanie Sanger Johnson discovered. It need not be on a romantic level. But people need to be noticed. Watched. Cared for. Led. Provided for. Understood and appreciated for who they themselves are. Called out to become the person they are capable of.
Everybody needs a watcher or two.
Every organization needs leaders like that, too.
An investment? Yes.
A commitment? No doubt about it.
A sacrifice? Oh yes. But I can’t begin to describe the difference it can make if somebody – if you - will simply pay attention.
