Now What?
2 min read
Doing something a little differently today and jumping right into scripture largely because I am le tired. Warning this is not my best work because my brain is currently clouded with sugar and cheese, but with the help of the Holy Spirit I’m going to hopefully formulate an idea you can carry with you.
In Luke 2, after the angels appear to the shepherds the very night of Jesus’s birth, the shepherds stand in the afterglow of the angel armies of heaven (could you imagine??!!) singing and praising God saying, “Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”
The very next verse says, “When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, ‘Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing […] which the Lord has told us about!’”
Interestingly, the angel(s) that appeared to these shepherds never said “Go! See!” they simply rejoiced and gushed over the true miracle of the Messiah’s birth, and the shepherds were so intrigued, they had to go and see for themselves.
In verse 16, we read “They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph, and there was the baby, lying in the manger.”
The shepherds came, they saw, they bought a t-shirt from the inn-keeper, and, well, that was it. Then they went on their merry way.
Heck no they didn’t! They TOLD EVERYONE what had happened. Everyone. They told what they saw and they told of the angel's messages from the Lord about this Savior of the earth. In essence, they told the truth of what they saw, what they heard, and what they did, and everyone was astonished.
There’s something so simple and yet so hard in this message of what the shepherds did after they met Jesus: They told people about Him. They told everyone about Him!
I know what you’re thinking: Oh mannnn here we go with the call to evangelize. I’m no good at it. Why is she so pushy?
I get it. It’s dang hard, but I also want to level with you here: No one thinks they’re good at evangelizing. I don’t think I’m good at it. You probably don’t either. The most valuable thing I ever learned about telling people about Jesus is from Bill Kraftson (by way of Gup), and it is that someone else cannot negate what Jesus has done for YOU in YOUR life.
Doesn’t that take the edge off a little bit?
So just like we touched on last week, don’t get all up in your head about it. Just talk about Him. Do as the shepherds did and simply tell what you saw, what you know, what you’ve learned because of Jesus. No one can refute what He’s done for you. Heck, gush about what He’s done for you so much the recipient might just be as intrigued as the shepherds to go and see for themselves!
If you get tripped up on how to even start that convo - maybe this will help: On an introductory call with a client of mine several months ago, mid-convo he gently asked me, “Do you have a Faith?” and I thought that was such a perfect way to open the door to a conversation. Of course I said, YES! Followed by, DID WE JUST BECOME YES FRIENDS?! But I have found myself able to use that introduction (on exactly one occasion) as such an easy way to open the door. Ideally you could then ask to gently share your own Faith story, but in my only experience the person said, “Yes.” And then I just kinda left it there. I probably could’ve nudged and prodded a little more, but hey, practice makes perfect.
Also, side note for anyone who needs to hear this (I do a lot of times): It’s not our job to save anyone. That’s between them and the Holy Spirit ;)
Ok so what else did the shepherds do?
In verse 20, we learn “The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they and heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them.”
This is another example of simple, effective advice: Do the work God has placed in front of you, shepherd the flock He has given you, and PRAISE Him, PRAISE Him, PRAISE Him for who He is. Your circumstances will change. Struggles will come. Work will be a grind. Your kids will be a handful. But HE is always, always the same, and He is always worthy of praise.
I hope you’ll join me in making these things a daily habit in the Now What? feelings of Christmas and beyond:
Tell others about Jesus. Talk about what you know to be true about Him in your own life.
Do the work in front of you, and shepherd the flock He has given you. (aka take care of your people! If you’ve got little ones, tell THEM about Jesus! That counts x1 million).
Praise Him.
Abba Father, you are holy and mighty and faithful. We fall short of your holiness, God. SO short. Thank you for the gift of Jesus that covers us in His blood to approach your throne of glory and grace. Without Jesus and his humble birth, perfect life, and sacrificial death, we would be hopeless. Thank you for saving us! God, as we close out this year and the joyful Christmas season, will you please keep reminding us of the shepherds? When we get all weird about goals and a new year and the pressure to do, be, have more, will you please shift our gaze to the unfussy, unassuming, humble shepherds? Remind us of your goodness to them and your goodness to us. Help us want you more than the blessings, help us seek you more than the accolades, and help us share the joy that comes with walking with you. Seasons change, life events happen, but you are always the same. In the beautiful name of Jesus we pray, Amen.
Scripture for memory this week:
Hebrews 13:8 “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.”