Imagine you were tasked with the greatest announcement in all of History. Imagine that God put you in charge of making the announcement of the birth of Jesus, the promised Messiah. How would you go about it?
Today you might launch a mass media campaign, or a viral video series, maybe spend a lot of money on TV commercials. Obviously, none of these methods were available in the first century, but God used a very unlikely method all the same.
First God used ancient prophets who wrote and taught about a coming messiah. Most of them were alive around seven-hundred years before Jesus was born.
But then God is silent for four-hundred years, until a small group of shepherds have an angelic encounter that announces the birth of the Christ child. The shepherds seemed to be unlikely candidates for a world-altering announcement.
The shepherds heard the angel’s pronouncement and saw the host of angels singing—and they believed. As they believed, they responded in four ways to the incredible news they had heard.
The angel of the Lord made the message personal for them, saying in Luke 2:11, “Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.”
This child who was born was for them, it wasn’t a child who would be disconnected from their lives. By visiting the shepherds, the angel revealed the grace of God toward all of mankind. Shepherds were really outcasts in Israel, In fact their work not only made them ceremonially unclean, and it probably kept them away from the temple for weeks at a time so that they could not be made clean. God does not always call the rich and mighty; frequently He calls the poor and the lowly (see Luke 1:51-53).
The shepherds got it, and they responded in faith in four ways:
1: They Believed
Now it may seem obvious that they would believe. They had just had an incredible supernatural encounter the likes of which very few humans have ever witnessed. But they had to believe the word of the angel.
But what about us? I am sure none of you have seen a mighty host of angels, but there is a promise when we believe by the power of the Holy Spirit (see John 20:29).
Do you believe?
Believing always requires a response. There is always an action or a step of faith that follows belief. The shepherds responded.
2: They Obeyed (Luke 2:15).
In verse 15a we read, “When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go…”
Notice that in verse 11, the angel didn’t tell them what to do, but rather it was an invitation. When Jesus is presented, there is always an invitation. And their faith compelled them to go and see the Christ. Even as a baby, he changed lives, and he is still changing lives today.
Some people have suggested that these shepherds were some distance away, it was not a simple task to find someone to take care of their sheep. But they worked it out, they were not going to miss this opportunity.
How often we are given opportunities to encounter the Lord, but we find it too inconvenient. We know we really should go to that prayer meeting, or that life group, but we feel a bit tired. It is just a little inconvenient. And so, we miss out on what may be a special time with the Body of Christ. When the Lord gives you an invitation, always respond even if it is inconvenient, maybe, especially if it is inconvenient!
This leads to the third response:
3: They Worshipped God (Luke 2:20).
The angels praised God at the beginning of creation, now they were praising God for the new creation. The birth of God’s rescue plan of salvation.
We know from the Old Testament that God’s glory was in the tabernacle and then in the temple, but God left the temple because of the nation’s sin. But now, God’s glory had returned. Emmanuel, “God with us”. God was in that stable in the person of a little baby.
The lowly manger became the Holy of Holies because Jesus was there. And the shepherds worshipped, they glorified God.
You cannot truly worship someone or something you don’t know. The Shepherds met Jesus and bowed before him. To truly worship God, it must flow out of a personal relationship (see John 4:23-24)
If you struggle to worship the Lord, may I suggest that it is because you have never really met him. And to clarify, I am not talking about being able to sing some songs. To worship God is to give Him the place of preeminence in your life.
And then finally, the fourth response:
4: They Testified (Luke 2:17-18).
For some reason in the 1st century Roman law, shepherds were not allowed to testify in court. They were considered unreliable witnesses.
Again, if we had an important announcement, we would never pick people who have a bad reputation or no credibility. But God sees the heart and called these shepherds to be preachers of the Gospel. They had the honor of announcing the good news of the Messiah.
Telling others about Jesus is a privilege an honor. People who encounter Jesus, are compelled by the spirit of God to tell.
But this isn’t a one-off event. By the presence of the Holy Spirit and the power of the Word of God, we have the invitation to encounter Jesus every day.
When you meet with Jesus, like the shepherds, people around you should see and know that you had a private meeting with the King of Kings. How often do you take advantage of the privilege to meet with Jesus?
Take a moment today, do a quick inventory and see how the Holy Spirit might be asking you to respond. If we are truthful, we could all respond more readily in obedience, in worship, and in witnessing.
How will you respond in faith today?