Luke 2:8-20
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 of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ 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,
and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”
and on earth peace to men 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.
A number of years ago I almost met Magic Johnson.
I was waiting at a gate in O’Hare airport with two of my young sons as we were on our way to visit family in Ohio. All of a sudden there was a stirring and I overheard someone say, “That’s Magic Johnson.” I looked down the concourse and, sure enough, there he was, one of the most recognizable people in the world at the time. I grabbed my boys by the hands and said, “Come on!” We scrambled out to the gate and followed Mr. Johnson and his entourage down the concourse for about 20 yards. By that time more and more people had recognized him and a crowd was beginning to gather. I realized there wouldn’t be time for us to work our way to the front of the crowd to meet him before our flight departed, so we returned somewhat sadly to our gate.
To this day, some 15 years later, I still tell people about the time I almost met Magic Johnson!
Why did I jump up and follow him? Why do I still tell the story? Because Magic Johnson had glory, that’s why! He was famous; he was a celebrity; he was cool; he had kabod! And you just don’t get to be around that kind of glory every day and I wanted a little piece of it; I wanted to bask for just a moment in Magic Johnson’s reflected glory.
And I couldn’t wait to tell people about it!
Look at what the shepherds did with their experience of glory!
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.
People were amazed at what the shepherds had to say for two reasons. First, they were shepherds! No one paid any attention to what shepherds had to say. They simply weren’t regarded as significant enough to warrant attention in any meaningful sense.
Second, people were surprised by what the shepherds had to share. They claimed to have seen him. Him! The Christ; the anointed one; the Messiah.
Now two things about this story grab my attention. First, what could make a group of shepherds leave their flocks in the middle of the night and run into town to find a baby born in the ancient equivalent of a stable? It was such a crazy thing to do; I mean, a shepherd could probably be fired for leaving his post like that! The answer is glory. The shepherds witnessed the very glory of God and that glory was enough to convince them that the announcement of the was legit, so off they went.
The second crazy thing the shepherds did was to start telling people about what they had seen; about who they had seen. Imagine being awakened in the middle of the night by someone pounding on your door. You peek out the window to see who is disturbing your peace at this hour and see a couple of men you recognize as being the same guys who hang around a local intersection offering to wash your windshield for a buck every day. You think about dialing 9-1-1, but decide to see what they want instead. You open the door a crack and they begin babbling about angels and a baby and salvation.
What would you think? How long would your door stay open?
That’s what I thought.
So what could possibly cause these men no one wanted to hear from to think they had something to say?
The answer, in general, is glory.
When you have been in the presence of glory, you can’t wait to share the story.
The answer, in particular, is Christ.
When you have seen and experienced the glory of Christ, you can’t wait to share the story.
Brian Coffey
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1 comment:
Let us live in His glory, telling His story and await His Coming....Come, Lord Jesus, quickly come!
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