“The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.” Luke 2:20
Lord Jesus, I woke up this morning praying for friends in seasons of crisis, complexity, and change—3 realities that marked the world into which you were born. Choosing shepherds as the first recipients of your birth announcement was brilliant and is deeply encouraging to us, for their lives were filled with challenges.
The shepherds were given the first glimpses of your incarnate self—God as a baby, Majesty in a manger, Deity in diapers. O Holy night, O holy paradox, O immeasurable gift—you created Mary yet came to save her, shepherds, and us. She nursed you—giving milk to the one who feeds every bird and clothes every field. She changed and cleaned your soiled clothing, Jesus—you, the one who has come to make all things new and beautiful.
When the shepherds left your manger, they were still “shepherds.” Brokenness and unfairness were written all over their stories. They still couldn’t worship at the temple—though they raised sheep for temple sacrifices. They still couldn’t give testimony in a court of law—yet they were heaven-picked “expert witnesses” to your birth. They returned to a difficult life of stereotypes, literal wolves, and a denarii-to-denarii existence.
At one level, nothing changed for them; but in what matters most, everything changed. They returned, worshipping not whining. They didn’t take “selfies” with you to share with friends; 10,000 times better you returned with them as Immanuel—God with us and God for us. You, the Good Shepherd, now defined them, not their shepherding.
May the same be true for each of us, Jesus—whatever our situation. Whatever is hard, sad, unnerving, vulnerability-fueling—you are with us and for us period. Personally, this is my first Christmas in 50 years—half of a century, not being a pastor on a church staff. It feels right, sweet, and a bit weird—but with a new season comes new opportunities to know, love, serve, and trust you, Jesus. “Hallelujah!”, here we go, and So Very Amen!
