Wishing You a Shepherd’s Christmas
Photo by The New York Public Library on Unsplash
“When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.” Luke 2:15-20
This Advent season our church looked at the questions asked by Zachariah, Elizabeth, Mary, and the Wise Men when they encountered a divine revelation by either angels or a star. A striking feature in this process was the one group of people who did not ask a question – the shepherds. In fact, as we look closer at the brief story of the shepherds on that first Christmas Eve, we find a wonderful example of how we might wish to celebrate this season. Having witnessed a magnificent manifestation of the glory of God through the angelic choir declaring the message of the newborn babe in Bethlehem, the shepherds made a sevenfold response. In Luke chapter 2, we see that the shepherd’s heard, believed, left, went, worshiped, rejoiced, and proclaimed. Here is what I believe we can learn from their story.
They heard. It may seem obvious that if the sky is filled with tens of thousands of angelic beings singing at the top of their lungs, it’s likely that we would hear. But the message here is that in the midst of the overwhelming sight and sound, they really heard the message. What about us this Christmas? There’s a great deal of noise at Christmas time. Songs sung, Bible verses read, Christmas movies blaring, Christmas parties, and on and on. Amidst it all, are we taking time to really listen? Will we go into Christmas believing that God has a very special message just for us. If we believe that, will we put ourselves in a position to hear it this Christmas? For us that may mean finding or creating times of solitude. It may mean reading the Christmas story and asking the Holy Spirit to give us fresh eyes to really hear it or extending our time of prayer just to abide in God’s presence. Whatever it means for us, if we are going to have a Christmas like the shepherds, it will require us to listen, really listen for the message God has for us.
They believed. It’s one thing to hear a message, it’s another thing to take it into our spirit. Mary pondered in her heart all that happened. How are you pondering these things for yourself this Christmas? Another way of putting it is, do we believe, do we really believe that what we believe to be true is really true? Is the incredible story of the incarnation still overwhelming to us? Do we believe we are celebrating the greatest single moment in human history? If we are to experience Christmas in its fullness as the shepherds did, we will need to pray that the Holy Spirit will allow us to embrace the Christmas story in absolute total belief and faith as never before.
They left. Honestly, I’ve always found this to be a bit of irresponsibility on the part of the shepherds. They left the sheep? They just walked away and left them? Yes. They set down their responsibilities in the face of this amazing news. They were willing to leave everything behind to respond to the angelic message. What about us this Christmas? What are we willing to leave in order to receive? What are we willing to set aside in order to pick up? What are we willing to empty ourselves of in order to be filled up? One thing is certain, whenever Jesus calls a person to himself, there is always a requirement that we surrender, that we die to ourselves and empty ourselves before him. The shepherds left everything behind in response to the call. What will we leave behind this Christmas, to be replaced by all that God has for us?
They went. Once we have set aside what might keep us from all the God has for us, its time to put our faith in action and go. The shepherds did just that. They came out of the fields and into the town, searching for the Savior of the world. Encountering Jesus this Christmas will certainly call us to do something that we’ve never done before. What work might God have in store for you in your own response to the angels’ message? Who might God be asking you to reach out to, to call, to visit, to pray with? What forgiveness might he be asking you to give that you’ve been withholding? What words of encouragement do people need to hear that you’ve yet to give them? What time do you need to spend with people in your life that they so hunger for? This Christmas, when the angels call, will you go?
They worshiped. Finding the baby in the manger the shepherds, fell to their knees and worshiped. And so must we. There will be multiple opportunities to worship over this Christmas season. But beyond the beautiful services of carols and bells, the advent wreaths and caroling, how will you personally worship Christ this Christmas? The word used in Luke is beyond a simple acknowledgment of Jesus’s birth. As the Carol says, “O come, let us adore him.” Adoration is a total outpouring of our love from the core of our being. How will you adore the newborn king this Christmas?
They rejoiced. This one may be the hardest for us. Rejoicing – that pure unbridled sense of absolute happiness and delight – is so rare today. We are reminded that the joy of the Lord is our strength. He desires joy for us as a response to his love to us. If you’ve never fully experienced the absolute joy of the Lord, perhaps that can be your prayer this Christmas. Ask the Holy Spirit to work in you this precious joy. I believe if we will hear, believe, empty ourselves, go, and fall on our knees in adoration and worship, the spirit will meet us there with a profound joy we may never have experienced.
Finally, they told. They told everyone what the angels had said. They proclaimed and shared this good news. They were the personification of, “Go, tell it on the mountain that Jesus Christ is born.” Will our Christmas celebration include a telling, a proclaiming? How many people around us will go through the formalities of Christmas without ever meeting the Savior? For how many family members, friends, work associates, and neighbors will this Christmas be one more year of tinsel, cheesy Christmas songs, too much alcohol, and too little joy? We have heard the message. We have been to the manger. We have believed and been overwhelmed by the love of God shown for us in Bethlehem. We have had our lives transformed. How can we not join the shepherds in telling everyone about what we have seen and heard? How will you proclaim that message this Christmas?
Let us listen for God’s word to us, believe it with all our heart, empty ourselves to be filled up by him, go and do whatever he asks, adore him as never before, pray for joy to overwhelm our spirit, and proclaim to everyone the good news, “Joy to the world, the Lord is come, let earth receive her king!”
Merry Christmas
