The Sad Shepherd: A Christmas Story

By Van Dyke and Henry

On Christmas night, the hills and valleys near Bethlehem become the setting for a shepherd's struggle with hardship, sorrow and spiritual emptiness. Ammiel travels with his flock carrying the burden of past choices, yet the demands of shepherding leave no room to abandon responsibility. After an attack by robbers, he must continue through a landscape where danger and duty test the compassion he still possesses. A wounded animal provides one of the story's most memorable points of focus, revealing the cost of care in a life already marked by loss. Around Ammiel, the pastoral world is practical and demanding: flocks require protection, sacrifice has consequences, and fellowship among shepherds offers no easy escape from private sorrow. Against this grounded setting, news of a miraculous child introduces a possibility that Ammiel cannot dismiss, drawing biblical fiction and pastoral adventure into a searching character study. The contrast between a melancholy shepherd and the hope associated with the Christmas story gives this short religious tale its distinctive tension. Love, repentance and renewal emerge through Ammiel's encounter with events greater than his own troubles, while the humble circumstances surrounding the infant Jesus keep the narrative centred on compassion rather than grandeur. It is a concise exploration of how meaning may be sought amid hardship, and how sacrifice can open a path beyond spiritual emptiness. This book was out of print for decades and is now republished by Alpha Editions. It has been restored for today's and future generations. This edition is not just a reprint - it's a collector's item and a cultural treasure.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 9378418732
• ISBN13: 9789378418730
• Release Date: February 2027
• Publisher: Alpha Edition
• Length: 26 Pages
• Weight: 0.11 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.1" x 6.0" x 9.0"