And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear.
And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and 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 among those with whom he is pleased!”
When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child.
Luke 2:8-17 (ESV)
Imagine being on a remote beach in the middle of the night.
Walking along the soft, cool sand of the beach, your eyes might need time to adjust to the darkness around you. There are no streetlights, no lamps, no flashlights around. But then you look at the sky and stand in awe, mesmerized by the beauty and clarity of the numerous stars. Because there’s no artificial light to detract from them, these stars seem brighter and clearer than you’ve ever seen them.
Sometimes it takes being in total darkness to see the light that’s been around us the whole time. What had been distant is now startlingly clear.
Now imagine the shepherds standing in total darkness the night that the angel came to them. They were probably yawning, scanning the dark horizon for predators that could attack their flocks. Their eyes, too, had adjusted to pitch blackness with only the night sky as their source of light.
Scripture says that when an angel appeared, “the glory of the Lord shone around them” (Luke 2:9b). Instantly, the shepherds were terrified. Between the angels themselves and the brilliant light of God’s glory, it’s understandable.
Typically these “outsiders” were kept away from society, but now they were suddenly in the spotlight. They were seen. They probably never expected the news of the Messiah’s birth to come to them or that God would use shepherds to declare the arrival of the Lamb of God.
God spoke to unlikely people: to a lowly virgin girl, to her tradesman betrothed, to lowly shepherds. These unlikely people were to become his messengers in the most unexpected ways.
Years later, more unlikely people, women, were chosen to deliver the news that Jesus had been resurrected. You might feel like an unlikely candidate, but God can use you to declare the Savior this Christmas season! He can use you to bring light that breaks through a weary, dark world.
- When was the last time you received good news? Who delivered the news to you?
- If you were a townsperson and received the news of Jesus’ birth from a shepherd, how would you have responded?
- God uses unlikely people to bring about his kingdom on earth. How can that fact encourage you this week?
