Luke 2:8-20
Verse 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.
The shepherds had been shocked by the intrusion of the angels, but were willing to go see the Babe in the manger. They wanted to see for themselves this miraculous event. We mentioned before how they weren’t the most popular characters around town and so this may have been a bit outside their comfort zone and yet they couldn’t pass up the opportunity to see if things were as the angels had said or if they had just imagined it all.
The angel had spoken about God’s peace being among those who please Him and these outcasts from society were chosen to hear about this peace. They were shocked by this event in their life but they weren’t okay staying in the place they had always been, knowing a Messiah was coming. They were willing to face rejection from people they may meet along the way because they had a peace of mind about what they were doing.
Shepherds may not have been who Mary was expecting to come calling that night and she may have had to overcome some cultural emotions when these smelly men came in wanting to worship the tiny Babe. Not many women would want dirty, smelly men coming in to check out their new born. But even in this out of the ordinary moment, there was peace. There was no shooing the shepherds out of the birthplace or hiding the Baby from them. Everyone had peace because of the Baby.
The shepherds had likely never known this peace. They may have enjoyed some peaceful nights under the stars, but this night was different. Seeing that newborn did something to their heart. The peace they were experiencing was not a temporary feeling, it was more than that. They knew the Prince of Peace, the One who had come to fulfill all the prophecies about the Promised One. They would never forget this night.
Making It Personal
Do you remember when you first knew the peace of Christ in your life? What experience brought about that knowledge? How does that peace make itself known in your day to day life?
Making It Personal Kids
Do you know the kind of peace that you can have even when things aren’t going as you hoped? Why do you think it’s possible to have peace of mind through Jesus even in the hard times? Do you want that peace?
Closing Prayer
Father, thank You for fulfilling Your promise and giving us the peace that comes from knowing Jesus. Help us know how to dwell in that peace even in the hard times of life. In Jesus’ name, amen.
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