Luke 2:8-20 NIV
And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.
It's a story we know well and see retold numerous times at this time of year, but there are always new truths to be discovered.
For me right now, the thing that strikes me most about the tale of the Shepherds, is that the angel appeared to them as they were watching their sheep. Yes, we know. That's what shepherd do. They watch sheep. How can this be the most striking thing?
The angel appeared to them as they were doing their work. I don't know about you, but I don't always expect to see an angel appear in the DHQ office. That may sound unusual for someone who works in ministry to say, but it's honest. Do you expect an angel to show up in your school, college, or work place to tell you the Saviour of the world has been born?
But that's what's so amazing. Very often, we split our life into ' God stuff' or 'Holy stuff' and 'everything else', and we limit God's ability to speak to us to those 'Holy times'. We blind ourselves to where he is in the 'ordinary' moments of our lives, where there may be an angel waiting with 'good news that will cause great joy' - the very joy or news we need to receive from God.
God did not intend life to be split this way. God created everything, even those things we don't class as part of our 'Holy' life. And if we limit God to those 'Holy' times, we can miss out on so much he has for us. Imagine how different the Nativity would be if the shepherds, having dismissed Holy things from happening in their work, simply ignored the angel appearing before them!
When we experience God in our lives, we are called to share our experience with others. After the shepherds had seen Jesus, they had to go out and share their good news with those they met! They just couldn't keep it to themselves!
If we stop ourselves from experiencing God in our ordinary lives, we can also miss out on the chance to share God's word with others. If we haven't heard it, we can't share it. And sharing our experience can be just as exciting as the original experience, and it can bless others in ways we may never hear of or understand.
Advent is a great time to start trying to expand our expectations of where we hear God, because everywhere we look we are reminded of the time of year. We can use these reminders to open our ears, minds, and hearts to receive from God.
Spend time asking God to speak to you through the ordinary. Try looking for angels as you go about your 'everyday'. You may be surprised by what you discover when you start looking for it!
Please feel free to share any experiences you have in the comments section!
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