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Visiting Shepherds

”Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.”
Luke 2:11

Leaving their sheep, the shepherds went quickly. Luke tells us they hurried. They must have been excited but also very apprehensive. What did these messages from the angels mean? How would they find this baby in Bethlehem? And what would they discover when they got there? Despite their fear, questions and excitement, they descended the hills into the small village. They probably ran. Momentarily they had forgotten their responsibilities to their sheep. Now they were on a mission.

And there in the stable behind the inn was the couple, Mary and Joseph, and their baby. And sure enough, He was lying in a manger. When they saw the Child, they told the young parents the incredible story about visiting angels, bright lights, and the singing chorus. But most importantly, they shared the message that a Savior, the Messiah, had come among them as both Lord and baby. Can you imagine these shepherds jabbering away? What they had experienced was totally outside the familiarity of their daily lives among the sheep. They were ordinary men who had seen the extraordinary.

Shepherds are hardly the quietest people on earth. Up in the hills they had to shout to hear each other over long distances, to draw in wandering sheep, and to scare away wild animals. Clearly the commotion they raised brought people from the inn to the manger to see what was happening. Luke says, “When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them” (Luke 2:17-18). 

Of course people were amazed! Two thousand years later we are still reading about this event with amazement. These shepherds became the first evangelists of the gospel, of the new kingdom that Jesus would bring into being. This event had begun to transform them, and this transformation took place because they not only saw and heard the angels but also acted. It was their leap of faith.

The shepherds returned to their flock. They glorified and praised God for everything they had seen and heard. Everything happened the way the angel told them. They had proven to be effective evangelists, which is why God chose to tell them first about the birth of Jesus. On this Christmas Day, and in the days to come, how effective will you be as evangelists for the Savior of the World?

Prayer
Dear Heavenly Father, I am reminded again today that You sent Your Son, born in a manger, to be my Savior. You shared this Good News first with the lowliest, shepherds out in the field and they ran to see what the angels told them. Today I ask that you would give me the excitement and the boldness that you blessed those shepherds with that I too would be an effective evangelist to those around me. I pray this in Jesus’ Name. Amen