Luke 2:8-20

Seasonally fitting this passage is. As a child, I grew up hearing about how the shepherds went to visit Jesus in manger when they were told of his birth. Christian or not, pretty much everyone has. Two things really stuck out to me in the passage though.

Upon hearing the angels' message, the shepherds stopped everything they were doing to visit baby Jesus. Everything. In Luke 2:16, it says that they "hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby". I think we can all take a page out of their books. They were excited to meet Jesus and put everything else on pause to do so. Do we do this in our lives? In the busy and frantic moments, do we set everything else aside to spend time and meet with God?

v17 says that the shepherds "spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child". They just met this baby and they were so excited to tell people about him! They only knew of what was supposed to happen to Jesus, that he is supposed to be the savior, and yet they still praised God and spread the word. This is especially convicting for me. I've been a Christian my entire life. Not only do I know what was supposed to happen with Jesus, but I know what actually happened with Jesus. The truth and grace behind it all is overwhelming. But unlike the shepherds, I don't go around praising God constantly for His grace nor do I make a true effort to really spread God's love story for us.