And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” (Luke 2:8-14 ESV)
God could have announced Jesus' birth to anyone on the planet. He chose shepherds. He chose working folk. He chose to make this momentous arrival of His Son into our world known to poor, uneducated, humble shepherds. Being rich or famous or smart or powerful does not make a person more worthy to God. Having a humble heart opens the door for more of Him.
Throughout Scripture, we see God recruiting humans for His purposes. He often recruits from the pit, not from the pinnacle. He delights to reveal Himself to everyday people like you and me. Abraham was a nomad. Moses was a shepherd. King David was a shepherd. Gideon was a frightened farmer, winnowing wheat under cover in a winepress in fear of his enemies. Mary was a peasant girl. Matthew was a tax collector. Do you see the trend? Why would God choose the weak and humble for His work? When He works through the humble, He gets the glory!
The shepherds were the first to hear of the birth of our Savior. News of the greatest gift ever given, the Son of God, was given to them. What was their response? They went to check it out!
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. (Matthew 2:15-20 ESV)
They left their duties and went to find Jesus. Like them, we must leave everything to pursue the presence of God-with-us. I don't believe that means abandoning important things. I do believe it means making the pursuit of our faith the main occupation of our lives. We must still make a living and provide for our families. We may still root for our favorite team and enjoy our hobbies. But deeper than all the things of the world must be the depth of our relationship with Jesus. In Him we find true peace and joy, and Jesus makes everything else deeper and richer.
Whatever we do, let's do it so God gets the glory. In our employment, our school, our neighboring and our friendships, when God gets the glory, we get the joy. Isn't that just like God?
And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child.
They came and saw, then they told what they knew. This "come and see...go and tell" dynamic is a natural part of our living as witnesses for Jesus Christ. We see Him for ourselves and then we make Him known to others. The woman at the well went back into her village and told them "Come and see the One who told me everything I ever did..." and on resurrection morning, the angel at the empty tomb told the women, "Come and see where He was laid, and then go and tell the disciples..."
We bear the same message of good news of great joy the shepherds bore. We make Jesus known with our lives and our lips. We give God glory with our words and our deeds. Having met Jesus and found grace and forgiveness and new life in Him, we live differently and speak differently, and God gets the glory. At least that's the way it's supposed to work. All too often, I think we are tempted to blend in with the world rather than making Jesus known with our lips and our lives. Too often we keep quiet about our faith.
I think this a good question to ask God and listen for the Holy Spirit's response: Father, how do you want me to make Jesus known through my life and my lips? Then, like the shepherds, we can make known to others what God has done in our lives and the message of peace on earth and good will to all people that was originally entrusted to the shepherds.
Like them, we can know the joy of finding Jesus, and the joy of making Him known. As He indwells our lives we can make the significance of God-with-us known to family and friends and co-workers and fellow students and even acquaintances and strangers with our lives and our lips. God will use everyday people like you and me to share this good news, and He will get the glory!
Have a blessed Christmas!