They reacted. They received. They responded.

They reacted. They received.  They responded.

This morning started off badly … well, sort of. My phone alarm woke me out of a deep sleep, and when I reached to turn it off, it fell under the bed and I couldn’t locate it in the dark (Marty was still asleep, so I didn’t want to turn on a light, so I fished). The angel fell off her nail in my Nativity set, and I couldn’t get her to hang back up on her perch. My hair was full of static electricity, and you must understand that with waist-length hair, this is a real issue. Then when I ran out the door already ten minutes late, the pressure was low in one of my tires and the tire pump wouldn’t come on. I mean, BAD start. 

I prayed, as I always do, as I headed down the road. Today I prayed, “Lord, I don’t know why I’m so stressed, but please give me grace for the moment,” and I started to cry. I kept telling myself, “Bev, you’re fine. Your life is good. Everyone is healthy. Almost everything to prepare for Christmas is done. You are blessed beyond measure.”

Telling myself things doesn’t always work. Sometimes I lie to myself so I have learned not always to trust me. God interrupted my train of thought, and I was so glad. He turned my thoughts to shepherds on a hillside a long time ago–shepherds who reacted, received, and responded to His message.

What about those shepherds? In Judea in the 1st-century, shepherds were frequently viewed as low-class, unreliable, and ritually unclean due to their constant contact with animals. They lived out in the fields, often in small, shared shelters or caves, to be with the flocks. Their work involved constant vigilance and stress to ensure the protection of the sheep from wild animals, thieves, and even from their own ignorance. They probably felt like their emotions were in a tug-of-war as they, on one hand, protected and nurtured the sheep, and on the other, willingly gave many of them over  to be slaughtered for temple sacrifice. 

According to John B. McDonald in Living Theology, “the Mishnah is a collection of documents recording oral traditions governing the lives of Jewish people during the period of the Pharisees. As such, an understanding of the Mishnah gives us insight into how Jewish people lived during the time of Jesus. One regulation in the Mishnah ‘expressly forbids the keeping of flocks throughout the land of Israel, except in the wildernesses – and the only flocks otherwise kept, would be those for the Temple-services’ (Bab K. 7:7; 80a).”

Luke 2 says of the shepherds who were on a hillside near Bethlehem and not in the wilderness, “And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. 

“And the angel said unto them, ‘Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.’

“And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.’ 

“And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, ‘Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.’ And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told to them concerning this child. And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told to them by the shepherds … And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.”

Meanwhile, back to my car, the Holy Spirit was teaching. (I love when He does that!) What did the shepherds do in that story? He alliterated: 

They reacted. 

They received. 

They responded.

First of all, it was a quiet, ordinary night on the hillside, when all of a sudden, something not so quiet and not so ordinary happened.

“The angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.” One angel was scary, but then they were faced with “a multitude of the heavenly host”–a celestial army! I suppose it’s not unusual that their first reaction was fear.

Then, the message:

“Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.”

Fear not!

The prophesy is fulfilled!

Messiah has come!

At  this very moment, He is as meek and gentle as those lambs you care for, lying in a manger!

Come and see Him!

Incredible as the message was, the shepherds received it! They said, “‘Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.’ They were not worldly individuals who might demand more proof or make excuses. They had a sign–and what a sign it was!–an overwhelming, supernatural experience shared by all of them at the same moment. They had not been awakened from slumber, but were wide awake and on guard, doing their job when it happened. In addition, verification was available–a new-born baby was lying in a manger not far away!

Their response was immediate. They said, “‘Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.’ And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told to them concerning this child. And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told to them by the shepherds.”

Back in the car, I felt the Lord impress upon me that the important message of my day was not static electricity, or a dropped phone, or even low tire pressure. It was the Word of the Gospel that has been given to me and that I was taking so for granted. It was not trivial; it was Christ who had come into the world for all people for all time, not just for me when I’m feeling righteous. I felt Him ask what my response would be today. Would I choose to react, receive, and respond to those very minor irritations that I had experienced, or would  I react, receive, and respond to Him? After all, He has said:

“Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation” (Mark 16:15). 

Today, I choose to be like those shepherds, and to react, receive, and respond to Jesus Christ, the Lord of all my good days and all my bad days; the Lord of all my triumphs and all my irritations; the Lord of all, period. I choose to go into my world and tell others about my Christ, my King.

God bless you and give you grace for every moment.