Christmas is one of the best times to tell a good story. Whether it’s being said around a table filled with people joyfully stuffing their faces or around a fire enjoying the cool air, they make this season extra special.
I want to share one of my favorite Christmas stories for this special Christmas blog post. So grab your coffee or hot chocolate, curl up under a comfy blanket, and read about one of the most amazing Christmas stories this world has ever known.
❤️
Two thousand years ago, in a field near Bethlehem, shepherds were keeping watch over their flocks of sheep.
As they worked to keep their sheep safe from the dangers of the night, an angel appeared to them from the starry night sky.
“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 Saviour 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,” the angel said.
More angels began to appear, and with them came a beautiful song of praise to the Creator of the universe. “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests,” the angels sang.
Slowly, the chorus of angels faded as each began their ascent back up to heaven.
With the newfound silence, the shepherds were faced with a decision. What would they do with the news they received? Would they choose to stay put and watch over their sheep, or would they heed the angel’s call and seek out the Messiah they’ve been desperately awaiting?
I can only imagine the awe and wonder the shepherds felt as they looked at one another and decided to leave their flocks in search of a little boy lying in a manger. Not another second was wasted as they hurried to the town of Bethlehem to seek out the news of the angel.
When they arrived, they were amazed to find what the angel told them was true. They couldn’t contain their excitement and began to tell everyone. Little did they know, they were some of the first to spread the incredible news that the Saviour of the world had come.
But they were just dirty and smelly shepherds, the lowest of the low in society. How did they come to have an essential place in the story of Christmas?
Because on that cold winter night thousands of years ago, God looked upon those who were humble and obedient. He looked upon the lowly and chose them to receive and spread the greatest news ever told to humanity. He put into action Jesus’ famous words that would be said decades later – “But many who are the greatest now will be the least important then, and those who seem least important now will be the greatest then.” (Mark 10:31 NLT)
So they may have been lowly and deemed unimportant by society’s standards, but God had a greater purpose for their lives.
The same is with you and me today, friend. We may feel unimportant, unqualified, and unworthy, but we serve a God who has placed a higher calling on our lives – to spread the life-changing news of Jesus.
We’re face-to-face with the same decision those shepherd boys had to make.
Are we going to leave what’s comfortable and familiar to seek out Jesus and shout from the rooftops what we find?
I can’t forget to mention one last piece of the story: the shepherds foreshadowed what was to come.
Decades after that cold Christmas night, Jesus would say, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep…I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me– just as the Father knows me and I know the Father– and I lay down my life for the sheep.” John 10:11, 14-15
Just as sheep rely on a shepherd to protect and sacrifice for them, the same is for Jesus and us.
Jesus is the good Shepherd, and we are His sheep.
When we wander, He brings us back. When the terrors of the night come calling for us, He protects us. And when it mattered most, He laid down His life for us.
We are all sheep that don’t deserve forgiveness, but our good Shepherd provides it anyway.
And with that forgiveness, He also provides the love, joy, peace, and hope all our hearts have longed for.
This Christmas, I encourage you to dive deeper into the most extraordinary story of all time.
I encourage you to seek Jesus like the shepherds did and proclaim what you find.
Merry Christmas, my friend.
If this devotional encouraged you, share it with a friend or on your social media. It’s the best Christmas gift a girl could ask for 🤍
