The Natural Christmas Reaction…Tell Everybody!
Some of you remember getting a really great present on Christmas morning. Maybe it was something that you wanted or maybe it was a surprise. After the morning was over and all the gifts were opened what did you do about that present that you received? Most of us wanted to TELL someone about the gift. As a child I lived in a “double house”, connected to my friend who lived right next door. When Christmas morning was over we would visit with each other and show the various things that we got for Christmas. He usually got way more things than I did….but that’s another post… Anyway, we would talk about the gifts that we received.
That’s exactly what the shepherds do when they see Jesus. Let’s read about it in Luke 2, verses 15-17: 15 So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, “Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger. 17 Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. The shepherds go to see the baby, which is what all of us would have probably done. But then when they see the baby they do this incredible thing. They go and tell others about Him. Seeing leads to talking. They saw this incredible baby, though I don’t think anything was particularly remarkable about the appearance of Jesus or His parents…no halos or glows or anything like that. But when they saw Him they went and told others.
What a lesson for us! We have the opportunity to “see Him” each and every day. We have a chance to gather with other followers of this “baby turned Savior” and we have an excellent opportunity to tell others about Him. What are we waiting for? Exposure to Jesus should lead to Expression about Jesus. Let’s not keep this amazing news to ourselves. Let’s get out there and tell everyone we can. Like the shepherds, let’s “make widely known the saying about this Child”. That’s a great gift to give someone we know.