When we receive good news, often one of the first things we’ll do is to tell someone else. Good news is meant to be shared, especially if the one who told us tells us to pass it on to others. Now that we have started a new year, and the Christmas holidays are coming to a close, I want to take one last look at the Christmas narrative from the Gospel of Luke, as there is one more lesson there that we can learn. Let’s take a final look at the Christmas story for this year.
Most of us are very familiar with the Nativity story from the Gospel of Luke, how the Blessed Virgin Mary gave birth to Jesus while in the stable, laying Him in the manger. We know of the angels appearing to the shepherds in the field at night, telling them of the birth of the Savior. Right before the angels leave, they tell the shepherds where they would find this Savior. This meant that they were to go and find Him. As our Scripture passage begins, the angels have gone and the shepherds are now alone with the sheep in the fields. What were they going to do? What would you do?
Some might decide to stay put. They had sheep they needed to watch and protect. It was nice and warm by the campfire. It was the middle of the night, and no one wanted to be prowling the streets of Bethlehem then. On the other hand, these heavenly messengers had told them a generalized location where to find this newborn Baby. Fortunately for them, they decided to go, and go right then, not waiting for the morning (vs. 15). Their response was immediate, not delayed. The shepherds acted on their faith in what the Lord had revealed to them, going to see the Savior they were told of. When God speaks through His Word to us, the right response is prompt obedience, not procrastination, excuses, or hesitation.
The shepherds left with haste. They were eager to see what the Lord had told them, and it didn’t take them long to find the Holy Family (vs. 16). They found them exactly as the angel had described, which confirmed the truth of God’s Word. God’s Word is always accurate and trustworthy. When we see God’s truth revealed, we need to always run towards it.
After a time of brief worship of the Holy Child, the shepherds left. But now they had a new job to do, in addition to being shepherds. They now had the task of telling others about the newborn Savior (vs. 17-18). They were the first evangelists in the New Testament. Evangelism should be the natural response to encountering Jesus.
God often uses ordinary people to proclaim His message. Paul spoke of this in I Corinthians 1:26-29. God used shepherds to announce Jesus’ birth to people. If He had wanted, He could have used a well-educated scribe or priest from the Temple in nearby Jerusalem, but He didn’t. Instead God used uneducated, possibly illiterate shepherds. Even though shepherds were unlikely candidates to proclaim His birth, they were effective. The people who heard them were moved by their message. God may ask us to do something that makes us uncomfortable, where we may not feel qualified. God often does not call the qualified, but qualifies the called. We don’t need a title or training to share the message of Jesus. We just need a heart transformed by God and a willingness to speak. He used the shepherds to proclaim Jesus’ birth.
The Virgin Mary had another response. As we read, she kept all these things and pondered them in her heart (vs. 19). Her response was different from the crowds. She didn’t give outward excitement, but had inward reflection. She treasured and guarded this moment in hers and Jesus’ life, pondering and meditating upon it in her heart. True faith also includes thoughtful meditation on God’s works. Mary sought to understand God’s purposes. She showed that deep reflection is a vital part of spiritual growth.
The shepherds returned to their job watching sheep, but they were not the same people after this encounter with God (vs. 20). This experience led to worship and praise in what God had revealed. When we have a genuine encounter with Jesus in our life, it should produce lasting worship. And when we believe and obey His Word, God will be glorified. God delights to reveal Himself to humble, ordinary people, and then use them to spread His glory.
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