A Manger Moment
It’s officially Christmas time, and with this joyful time of year we tend to fill our calendars with parties, events, shopping trips, and many other festive activities. Often times we become so busy that we don’t take the time to truly dig into the story of that precious night in Bethlehem. Of course, we hear about the birth of Jesus in the manger and about Mary’s significant role in carrying and delivering Jesus himself, but what about the other people that were there that night? There were three shepherds who witnessed this miraculous moment.
Life for shepherds was not the most ideal for anyone. They were considered dirty, second-class, untrustworthy and despised by others. The work itself was dangerous because the sheep were preyed upon by wolves with a staff as the only means of protection. So, you must wonder, did the shepherds second guess themselves before searching for this newborn child?
In Luke 2:8-12 we learn that the Lord’s angel came to these three shepherds saying, “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.”
These men were not concerned if they were “good enough” to see this miracle. In fact, they didn’t give it a second thought. These shepherds left their entire flock unattended so that they could go and witness this newborn Savior themselves.
In Luke 2:16 it states,
And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.
Instead of scratching their heads wondering, “Why us?” they were immediately obedient and followed by shear faith, the Word that was given to them.
As it is written in Luke 2:20,
And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.
There were no gifts to be given, no money to offer because they simply didn’t have anything to give. They quieted themselves in the excitement to give thanks and to praise God for all that they had witnessed and for the blessing that was given to all of us on this night.
Jesus wouldn’t be placed on the cross to break down the walls that separated man from God for another 33 years. These shepherds surrounding this child and praising God were doing this solely through their faith of what would come one day.
We are not all clean, even the saved are blemished. We are not all first-class, loved by everyone, and we do not always feel like we are worthy. If we can be like these shepherds, faithful and obedient, the Lord will show us miracles in even the smallest moments of our lives.
Let’s continue to have faith in the Word that the Lord gives us every day. To also remember that we should slow down and quiet ourselves for what this season is truly about. We should give thanks, praise, and love to God for blessing us with the Savior that we call Immanuel given to us on this beautiful night in Bethlehem.
-Leigh Byrd
Life for shepherds was not the most ideal for anyone. They were considered dirty, second-class, untrustworthy and despised by others. The work itself was dangerous because the sheep were preyed upon by wolves with a staff as the only means of protection. So, you must wonder, did the shepherds second guess themselves before searching for this newborn child?
In Luke 2:8-12 we learn that the Lord’s angel came to these three shepherds saying, “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.”
These men were not concerned if they were “good enough” to see this miracle. In fact, they didn’t give it a second thought. These shepherds left their entire flock unattended so that they could go and witness this newborn Savior themselves.
In Luke 2:16 it states,
And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.
Instead of scratching their heads wondering, “Why us?” they were immediately obedient and followed by shear faith, the Word that was given to them.
As it is written in Luke 2:20,
And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.
There were no gifts to be given, no money to offer because they simply didn’t have anything to give. They quieted themselves in the excitement to give thanks and to praise God for all that they had witnessed and for the blessing that was given to all of us on this night.
Jesus wouldn’t be placed on the cross to break down the walls that separated man from God for another 33 years. These shepherds surrounding this child and praising God were doing this solely through their faith of what would come one day.
We are not all clean, even the saved are blemished. We are not all first-class, loved by everyone, and we do not always feel like we are worthy. If we can be like these shepherds, faithful and obedient, the Lord will show us miracles in even the smallest moments of our lives.
Let’s continue to have faith in the Word that the Lord gives us every day. To also remember that we should slow down and quiet ourselves for what this season is truly about. We should give thanks, praise, and love to God for blessing us with the Savior that we call Immanuel given to us on this beautiful night in Bethlehem.
-Leigh Byrd
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