Santa: The Shepherds Visit the Manger
Ho ho ho! So there stood our shepherds, hearts pounding, jaws hanging open, the echo of that heavenly choir still ringing in their ears. The sky had gone dark and quiet again. The angels had returned to heaven. And the field was just a field once more, with the sheep blinking up at them as if to say, "Well? What was all that about?"
Now here's the moment that tells you what the shepherds were truly made of. Because there are two kinds of people in this world, my friends.
The first kind would have sat right back down. They'd have rubbed their eyes, scratched their heads, and said, "Did that really just happen? Let's not be hasty. Let's sleep on it. We'll think it over in the morning when we've had a good rest, and maybe we'll wander into town next week to check, if we get round to it."
But the shepherds were the second kind. The better kind!
The moment the angels were gone, they turned to one another and said, "Let's go to Bethlehem right now and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about!"
And they didn't stroll. They didn't dawdle. The Good Book says they hurried. They ran! Off they went into the night, as fast as their feet would carry them, leaving the comfort of the fire behind, hurrying toward a stable they'd never seen, to find a baby they'd only just heard about.
Now Santa moves pretty quick on Christmas Eve, I'll have you know. But even I tip my hat to a group of tired shepherds sprinting across the countryside in the middle of the night because they simply couldn't wait one more minute to see what heaven had promised.
And when they arrived, my friends — there it was. Exactly as the angel had said. They found Mary, and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger. The feeding trough. The sign had come true, right before their wondering eyes.
I imagine they crept in quietly, these big rough men, suddenly gentle as anything, peering down at that tiny sleeping baby. And their hearts must have nearly burst.
But they didn't stop there. Oh no. Because joy, real joy, is a thing you simply cannot keep to yourself. The shepherds went out and told everyone they could find about the child and about what the angel had said. They became the very first to spread the good news of Christmas! Imagine that — the first Christmas messengers in all of history weren't priests or princes. They were shepherds, still smelling of the field, too overjoyed to stay quiet.
And then they went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had seen and heard.
So here's the lesson, my friends. When good news comes knocking, don't sit on your hands. Don't wait for a more convenient time. Get up, go see, and then go tell. The shepherds ran toward the wonder. May we always be brave enough to do the same.
Merry Christmas, everyone! Ho ho ho! https://santaclaus.top/the-shepherds-visit-the-manger/
Ho ho ho! So there stood our shepherds, hearts pounding, jaws hanging open, the echo of that heavenly choir still ringing in their ears. The sky had gone dark and quiet again. The angels had returned to heaven. And the field was just a field once more, with the sheep blinking up at them as if to say, "Well? What was all that about?"
Now here's the moment that tells you what the shepherds were truly made of. Because there are two kinds of people in this world, my friends.
The first kind would have sat right back down. They'd have rubbed their eyes, scratched their heads, and said, "Did that really just happen? Let's not be hasty. Let's sleep on it. We'll think it over in the morning when we've had a good rest, and maybe we'll wander into town next week to check, if we get round to it."
But the shepherds were the second kind. The better kind!
The moment the angels were gone, they turned to one another and said, "Let's go to Bethlehem right now and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about!"
And they didn't stroll. They didn't dawdle. The Good Book says they hurried. They ran! Off they went into the night, as fast as their feet would carry them, leaving the comfort of the fire behind, hurrying toward a stable they'd never seen, to find a baby they'd only just heard about.
Now Santa moves pretty quick on Christmas Eve, I'll have you know. But even I tip my hat to a group of tired shepherds sprinting across the countryside in the middle of the night because they simply couldn't wait one more minute to see what heaven had promised.
And when they arrived, my friends — there it was. Exactly as the angel had said. They found Mary, and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger. The feeding trough. The sign had come true, right before their wondering eyes.
I imagine they crept in quietly, these big rough men, suddenly gentle as anything, peering down at that tiny sleeping baby. And their hearts must have nearly burst.
But they didn't stop there. Oh no. Because joy, real joy, is a thing you simply cannot keep to yourself. The shepherds went out and told everyone they could find about the child and about what the angel had said. They became the very first to spread the good news of Christmas! Imagine that — the first Christmas messengers in all of history weren't priests or princes. They were shepherds, still smelling of the field, too overjoyed to stay quiet.
And then they went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had seen and heard.
So here's the lesson, my friends. When good news comes knocking, don't sit on your hands. Don't wait for a more convenient time. Get up, go see, and then go tell. The shepherds ran toward the wonder. May we always be brave enough to do the same.
Merry Christmas, everyone! Ho ho ho! https://santaclaus.top/the-shepherds-visit-the-manger/
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