Episode Transcript
Luke 2:16–18
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.
CONSIDER THIS
Of all the jobs the shepherds had in their daily to-do list, one was of utmost importance: to take care of and provide for the sheep. However, when news came to them that Jesus was in their midst—the Messiah, the Savior of the world, had come into their world—what they thought was primary became secondary. Why? Because when Jesus is in your midst, you quickly discover that he is the most necessary and important thing.
What did the shepherds do? Luke records that they “hurried off” (Luke 2:16).
Notice what they didn’t do. They didn’t brush aside the angelic encounter as a reaction to some bad hummus they had the night before. They didn’t huddle up together and discuss the pros and cons of whether they should heed the angel’s directions. They didn’t pause, ponder, and then reply, “Perhaps we should pray for further direction?”
They heard the good news and acted on it.
In Matthew’s gospel, Jesus told the story of a shepherd who would leave ninety-nine sheep to go after the stray one (18:12–13). How beautiful that, here, the shepherds left their flock to go after one single lamb, the Lamb of God.
They find themselves in the presence of Mary, Joseph, and Jesus, wondering and marveling in awe. And then they left and spread the exciting word, “glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told” (Luke 2:20). The shepherds were the first hearers, the first believers, and the first preachers of the Christmas gospel.
God broke the wall between heaven and earth, delivering the good news, and that good news went straight to their hearts. They not only heard the message, but they also received the message. The Christmas gospel went from head to heart, and then heart to feet, as they went to experience it for themselves. Isn’t that the beauty that awaits us all on this Christmas Eve?
It’s one thing to hear about Jesus and peek inside the manger this evening and think to ourselves, “What a lovely and beautiful story.” Yet the truth is, this story doesn’t just call us to look back at the birth of Christ, it moves us to discover that Jesus desires to be born within each of us. We can attend Christmas Eve services for every single year we’re alive, yet if Christ is never born in our hearts, we’ve missed the story completely.
Jesus, who was born in the world, desires to find his way into your heart. That’s the beauty that finds us on Christmas Eve.
THE PRAYER
Heavenly Father, on this Christmas Eve, may we gather in awe of the childlike wonder found in the story of Jesus’s birth. May we embrace the joy and the innocence of that holy night, and may it ignite our faith, warm our hearts, and bring hope unto us all. Amen.
THE QUESTIONS
What did the shepherds do after they found the baby in the manger, and what example does this set for those who find Jesus today? Where does this story encourage you, and where does this story challenge you within your own context today?
