Day 19

Tyler Bottomlee 

Luke 2:15-21 is the familiar story of the shepherds on the hillside on the night of Jesus’ birth. We have all heard it, but when I stopped to think about it, this passage is more than just a story. It was put into the Gospel not only to record the events that occurred on the night of Jesus’ birth, but also to demonstrate the way we should respond to God’s voice and His actions. When God sent His angels to inform the shepherds of Christ’s birth, they did not just simply think it was “cool” then go back to tending their sheep. Luke specifically mentions, “they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger.” They were extremely excited by what God had revealed to them, and immediately followed his guidance. They didn’t stop with just seeing Christ. They didn’t hoard their newly found discovery, but they shared the news with everyone they saw. Luke says, “and when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child.”

At this point, King Herod was already looking for the Messiah to kill him. These Shepherds were specifically told that Jesus was the Christ child, the Messiah in flesh. They weren’t afraid of Herod though, they went through the streets telling every one of the good news the angels had brought them and miracle they had seen. They were simply so excited by the Lord’s voice in their life, they couldn’t contain themselves. This passage revealed to me how we should act as well. God has already told us of His son’s birth, and even more, of His son’s all-forgiving sacrifice for us. We cannot just sit idly by with this gospel, this good news. Like the shepherds, we have to stand up and walk; we have to share the news of Jesus’ immense love and sacrifice for everyone. With the Holy Spirit speaking to us and filling us, we don’t have anything to be afraid of. We can, and we must go out and share the love and comfort of Christ’s birth, love, and resurrection.