That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.
Luke 2:8-12
Advent can feel like a season where it is hard to catch your breath. Our hearts long to reflect on God’s goodness displayed through the birth of Christ, but our to-do lists of tasks and activities seem to occupy more and more of the month of December. In the fast pace of life, reflections are fleeting and stray like sheep as our minds wander off to the next commitment. In the crowded space of our minds, we can struggle to contemplate how God is at work in our lives.
In some ways, this makes the shepherds the most relatable participants in the story of Advent. To set the scene, these shepherds were at work. It was late at night, but they were vigilantly keeping watch over their sheep to prevent predators from striking. Suddenly, chaos erupts—an angel is among them, casting the glorious light of God. Their eyes were likely adjusting, and they were filled with fear at the unexpected change of the night. Then, they hear amazing news of promises being fulfilled before a whole choir appears, bursting into what must have been the loudest and most perfectly harmonized Christmas choir to date. Still in shock, they leave the sheep defenseless and run the 40 minutes to Bethlehem in half the time, simply from all their adrenaline. And by the time they figure out where Mary, Joseph, and the baby Jesus are, they are sweating, smelly, and out of breath. Imagine a group of men who smell of livestock bursting into an already chaotic delivery room, shouting about angels, lights, and choirs. Doesn’t this sound like the marathon that greets some of us as we find our seats for Christmas Eve service?
During this Advent season, some of us might be wishing that God would reveal divine promises to us through bright lights and harmonized choirs suddenly appearing in our workplaces. Surely, that would be a lot easier to recognize! But what we should actually be focusing on is not how God worked, but how the shepherds responded—their fear propelled them towards joy. They said an immediate yes to God. They didn’t ask questions—they left their entire livelihood and ran towards God. And they couldn’t stop telling everyone they encountered about God’s glorious deeds. These shepherds probably woke the whole town of Bethlehem in the early morning hours with their praise. What if, even in our own chaos this Christmas, we chose to be out of breath from running towards Jesus and praising God?
Even if we say yes to the promises of God this Advent, there is a reality that our answers may not come as quickly as they did for these shepherds. Our lives may be bound in fear at the confusion - a prolonged sense of those first moments when the angel arrived. Or, we may be frantically searching around town for our checklist of miracles, searching every proverbial manager for a swaddled baby. But even then, the shepherds can be an example for us to run with purpose towards God’s promises, knowing that we will be the first to shout in praise at what we find.
Thankfully, God has not changed and is faithful to show up in magnificent ways in our own lives. The angel’s justification for not fearing was the joy of knowing Jesus had been born. Not only do we get to celebrate the joy of the promised baby, we also get to celebrate the loving Savior that is Jesus! So this Advent, as we try to catch our breath, let it not be because we are living out of fear but because we are running with joy towards a loving and glorious God.
Words: Sabrina Dawson
Images: Taylor Brandon
