December 27, 2024, 11:00 AM
Greetings in Christ!
I hope and pray everyone had a very MERRY CHRISTMAS filled with joy and special time with your loved ones.
It’s been a great Christmas for me and my family. I would have to say, and I think you’d all agree, that the Lord has blessed all of us tremendously in so many ways.
The shepherds are among my favorite people in the Christmas story.
Who would be more unlikely recipients of the message of the birth of the Messiah than these fellows?
For example, a shepherd’s job was one of the least glamorous jobs of the day. They had a lonely job tending their herds out in fields. They were no doubt smelling and somewhat unkempt, from the outdoors and working with animals. A good comparison would be the present day’s migrant workers.
Yet time and time again, we see from the Christmas story how the Lord often chooses the simple to operate from rather than the spectacular.
But here's what really strikes me about the shepherds: I cannot imagine how awesome that first Christmas eve/night was for those shepherds. It began with a visitation from a group of angels and heavenly beings. It ended by seeing prophecy fulfilled and the Messiah, the Savior of the World, being born. They were eyewitnesses to it all!
We do not read much in scripture about what happened with the shepherds AFTER that night.
How could the Shepherds go back to tending sheep after they had been visited by angels and seen the baby Jesus?
I bet it was tough. I mean, talk about anticlimactic! During the following years, they probably got excited every time they saw a strange light in the night sky. Could this be another angelic visit?
Here's what scripture does say, though: It says in Luke 2:20 that the shepherds dutifully returned to their jobs and they did so glorifying and praising God for all that which they had seen and heard.
That's really cool and super encouraging!
The Shepherds had witnessed a marvelous experience, but it was now over and time to go on with life. They did so, however, as changed people.
I wonder if they stayed committed or did the emotions and sensations of that night slowly fade away. Would they remain faithful or eventually burn out? We don’t know for sure.
How does this apply to you and me?
You know, Christmas, just like any other event, ends and then we go back to everyday life. That in itself can cause a little of a natural “let-down.”
After all the presents and gifts have been exchanged and opened, cards sent, letters written, stories told, jokes shared, food eaten, hugs and kisses given and more food eaten, life does go on and back to normal.
How do you and I handle it when Christmas is over and "the angels are gone?"
Years ago, Bob Russell wrote an excellent devotion about this very subject. In it, he said that the real test of our character is not how we respond to the spiritual highs and good times, but how well we function during ordinary times.
As we wrap up the year 2024 and look to the upcoming year, I want to challenge each of us to take encouragement and follow the example of the shepherds. Let's all go back to our "stations in life" and serve the Lord with passion and commitment.
I hope and pray to see you this coming Sunday (12.29.24) at FCC. Let's finish 2024 on a great note!
In Him,
Greg H.
