June 15, 2023

Luke 2: 8, 9, 16, 17, 20 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them . . . they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph and the baby. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what they had been told about this child . . . The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen. (NIV)

Heaven may have a shrine to honor God’s uncommon use of the common.*

In Palestine, on Day Zero, was there any group of people more poorly equipped to be royal emissaries? Uneducated. Employed, but sleeping outside. The butt of crude jokes. Smelly. Then the angel of the Lord appeared to them and they went from subordinary to extraordinary. The first visitors to the newborn King! When they left, they were glorifying and praising God for what they had seen and heard.

After spreading the word about the baby, how long was it before their enthusiasm began to wane? Was it just a matter of days before they returned to their lives of drudgery? Or did such an incredible experience change them forever?

Have you encountered the King? How has your life changed because of it? Are you still glorifying and praising God for all that he has done in your life? Perhaps your encounter has grown into a daily, ongoing relationship. The circumstances of your life may not have changed, but you can’t know Jesus and not be changed from the inside out. How can you keep it to yourself?  How can you not spread the word concerning what you have seen and heard?

Ordinary people can become extraordinary evangelists simply by telling what Jesus has done for them.*