“When the angels went away from them into the sky, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem, now, and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us." They came with haste, and found both Mary and Joseph, and the baby was lying in the feeding trough. When they saw it, they publicized widely the saying which was spoken to them about this child. All who heard it wondered at the things which were spoken to them by the shepherds.”
The sky closes and the shepherds have a choice. They could talk about what they saw for the rest of their lives and never move.
Instead: let's go, now. Luke says they came with haste.
There is a gap between hearing something and going to see for yourself, and a lot of people spend a lifetime in that gap. It is comfortable there. You can admire the story, respect it, even defend it, without ever making the trip.
The shepherds went. They left their flock, which was their livelihood, in the middle of the night, on the word of a message they could not verify. And they found it exactly as they were told.
Then came the part that is almost more remarkable. They told everyone. These were men whose testimony carried no weight, walking around a town full of census crowds telling people what they had seen in a stable. Luke says all who heard it wondered.
They were not qualified. They had no standing, no training, and no proof. What they had was that they had gone and looked, and they could not keep quiet about it.
That is still most of what anyone has. You do not need to be able to answer every question to say what you have seen. If God has done something in your life, you are a witness to it, and a witness is not required to be an expert.
Two days from Christmas, the shepherds are asking us the plain question. Are you going to go and see, or just talk about it?
Talk About It Together
Answer with an actual next step if you can.
- What is one thing you have been meaning to do about your faith but keep putting off?
- Who could you tell about something God has done for you?
- What holds you back from talking about it?
Tonight’s Challenge
Tell one person one true thing God has done in your life. Keep it short and do not preach.
Prayer
Lord, keep us from admiring the story without going to see. Give us the shepherds' urgency and their nerve. We are not experts, but we have seen You work. Give us the words and the courage to say so. Amen.