If something wonderful happened to you, who would you tell first? Your husband or wife, brother or sister, parents, or best friend? When God wanted to spread the good news of His Son’s birth, who did He tell? Religious leaders, wealthy prominent citizens, well-learned men? No, actually, God told shepherds.
The shepherds were in the field in the company of the not-so-bright sheep. They had no power or influence. Why would God choose to first share His good news with the lowest members of society?
The shepherds held the capacity to be amazed and humbled that God would choose them to bear His news. He knew they would be willing to share this exciting event with everyone they knew, unlike the religious leaders of the day, who put so much value in rules, regulations, and their interpretations of Scripture that they might miss the message.
The shepherds were not afraid of what other people thought when they shared the news of Christ’s birth. They didn’t overthink the situation and talk themselves out of telling their fellow man about the miraculous event. They were exuberant and overjoyed at having seen their Savior.
God chose just the right people to share His news because these humble men did exactly what God wanted them to do. They took the good news of His son’s birth and shared it with others — and as a result, their lives were never the same.
He calls us to spread the good news as well. How will we respond?
Lord, today I rejoice with the shepherds in the miracle of your son’s birth. I ask that you would fill me with childlike wonder and amazement as I set aside tradition and the commercialization of the season, and return to innocent wonder and awe. Thank you for sending your Son to save me. I want to spend the rest of my life proclaiming the truth of your love. In Jesus name, Amen.
Go Deeper — Take time today to slow down and just breathe in the presence of God as you examine the story of Jesus’s birth with new eyes and an awakened sense of wonder, just like the shepherds.
Photo Credit: Agnes Liinnea