“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)
The shepherds were just sitting around a campfire, minding their own business – eating mutton stew, telling jokes, and playing a common game of “I can top that.”
- “I had to kill 2 snakes today.”
- “Well, I fought off a coyote with my club today.”
- “I had to climb down a steep ravine to rescue two sheep before wolves got them.”
You know how teenagers are when they get together: lots of fun, frivolity, and gamesmanship. But on this night, their laughter was suddenly interrupted by the brightest flash of lightning any of them had ever seen. It almost blinded them. They were scared stiff. Then, an angel spoke to them and told them to chill out; there was nothing to be afraid of. And the angel proceeded to tell them about the Messiah who was born inBethlehem. They could see this child lying in manger on the outskirts of town.
As soon as the vast array of angels left, these shepherds looked at each other and almost in unison exclaimed, “Let’s Go!” They left their sheep, ran into town, and found the baby just like the angel told them they would.
Even though it was the middle of the night, they couldn’t keep quiet on the way back to the fields. After all, they were teenagers. When people in town got up to see what all the commotion was outside, they found a bunch of rowdy and excited shepherds. They told everyone they saw about baby Jesus and what the angels had told them. The whole town was amazed at their story.
It reminds me of a dad whose wife has just delivered their first child. He is so excited, he starts handing out cigars to complete strangers and telling them, “Hey, I’m a dad!” Can you imagine what would happen inAmericaif people got as excited about Jesus as a father of a newborn child? Can you imagine what it would be like if people got as fired up about Jesus as they do about politics? What would happen if we got as excited about Jesus as we do about our favorite football team scoring the winning touchdown with no time left on the clock? What if we were as excited about Jesus as those teenage shepherds were that first Christmas night?
The best way to celebrate Christmas this year is to tell someone in your oikos about Jesus. After all, He is the reason for the Christmas season. Tell your family; tell your friends, tell your neighbors, tell your co-workers. The best gift you could share with anyone is God’s gift of eternal life.
Dear Heavenly Father,
Jesus is the reason for the season!
May I be more like the shepherds on that first Christmas?
Give me the courage to share the Good News of Jesus with my oikos.
In Jesus’ name, Amen!
