For the first 5+ years of our marriage, our parents and grandparents were waiting. Waiting for a child. Waiting for a grandchild (or great-grandchild) to come from Katie and I. They had the hope that someday it would come, but up until May of 2006 all they could do was wait and wonder “when?”. I can still remember my mom’s shriek for joy, my dad’s quiet smile, Katie’s mom’s joyous surprise, Katie’s dad’s exuberance, and the joy in the voices of all our grandparents when we told them we were pregnant. The long hoped for grandchild was finally on its way! And then they waited again as our child grew inside Katie, wondering when our child would come into the world. They were all waiting for the phone call to say Katie was in labor, to say that the child was born.
How different it must have been for the shepherds. They were out doing their job, watching over flocks in the hilly terrain near Bethlehem. They too were waiting. Waiting for a child…the Messiah! They didn’t know when He would come. They had no idea even who the parents would be. But they were waiting, and maybe wondering how on earth the news would be communicated once the Messiah had come.
“And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.” When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 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. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.” (Luke 2:8-20, NIV).
What a shock! Sure the shepherds had been hoping for the Messiah to come, but I’m sure they didn’t expect Him to come today! (Well, maybe one did, and if so he got to brag for years). Yet there they were, first hearing from one angel, then a whole army of angels. What a sight! What a message! In full stereo, better than HD, a bigger-than-life spectacle and light show which rocked their dreary little worlds!!! What would you do in their situation? How would you respond? I am amazed at how readily they accepted the angels’ message, how quickly they hit the road and hoofed it to Bethlehem. Yet these shepherds appeared full of hope and full of faith. Can you imagine their joy when they found the Christ, just as they had been told!?! The long-awaited Messiah, now here!! They were face-to-face with Him!!! What a moment! What a privilege!
Now what? Once they experienced this amazing thing, what were they to do? What were they to do with their experience of Jesus? Notice that the Bible doesn’t say they quietly left, or that they gave each other high fives for having such a great experience, or that they felt really good about themselves and went back to their boring lives. No. It says they couldn’t keep their mouths shut! They had to talk. They had to tell Mary and Joseph and everyone else (apparently some other people were there, or at least near) all about their Christ experience. And when they left they were praising God for all the things they had seen! Their lives were changed. And they were letting people know!!!
So what are you doing with your experience of Jesus? Once in your life you met Jesus, met Him in a way that rocked your world and turned you into one of His followers. You called yourself a Christian; you became a Christ-bearer. So now what are you doing with that experience? Does the story end for the year now that we have celebrated Christmas? Do you pack Him up in a little box with Mary, Joseph, the shepherds, and the wisemen, not to let Him out again until next December (or maybe Easter)? Is His impact on you limited to Christmastime each year? Is He your personal Jesus, kept in your pocket like a pet, hidden from the world but alive to you? Do you avoid conversations about Him with others for fear that they won’t be interested or won’t understand? Or are you like one of the shepherds? Can you not keep your mouth shut about what God has told you, what God has shown you? Are you actively praising God and letting people know that the Messiah has come?
Too often I am not like the shepherds. I think I usually fall into the middle category, where Jesus is alive but in my pocket. I decide who would be interested in hearing about Him and who wouldn’t, and guard my conversations that way. Yet when my children came, I wasn’t so discriminatory. I told everyone within earshot – “I am a dad! This is my child!’ – and I expected people to be interested. And that is what the shepherds were like. They weren’t so “complicated” or “civilized” to worry about how their words would be received, or who would want to hear them. They were raw and real. They saw, they went in faith, and then they spoke about it, becoming the first human witnesses of Christ’s coming. The shepherds let their encounter with Jesus transform their lives and their conversations. We who have had an encounter with Jesus would be wise to do the same. It’s time for us to act like shepherds.
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