“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, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger….’ When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.’” [Luke 2:8-12, 15 NIV]
And that is exactly what they did. They dropped everything, left their sheep to fend for themselves (a big no-no for shepherds who care about keeping their jobs) and raced into Bethlehem to find this “Wonder of Wonders.” Can’t you picture them racing through the narrow lanes, ducking into every animal enclosure looking for a newborn? They would not be satisfied until they saw what the angel told them about.
Then suddenly they find Him, that baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a feed trough. They were in the very presence of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. This little baby is the Savior that God had been promising. He is the Messiah, Christ the Lord.
There were probably no more jaded group than a bunch of shepherds. Shepherding was a most unworthy profession. Because of their profession they were considered ritually unclean. Acceptable society didn’t have much to do with them. But it was to them God chose to first announce the birth of His Son.
If we want to experience the “Wonder of Wonders” of Christmas, we need to be like the shepherds. We need to drop everything and run to the presence of God! That is where wonder begins. God beckons us to come.
Wonder of wonders!
