Every year, before we opened gifts and shared the joys of Christmas presents, my father would take time to read the birth narrative from the Bible. This is one tradition that I have passed on to my family and one I hope continues in my family for generations to come.
This past year, the 2nd chapter of Luke came to life for me, as Suzanne and I were able to go to the Holy Land with the church in June. The ten-day trip was quite the blur of excitement moving from holy site to holy site. The topography was impressive and the church buildings at the various sites were amazing.
Many of these places we had read and studied about, but one place that really caught my attention during the trip was the Shepherd’s Field. It was at this place that the shepherds were watching their sheep and the angel appeared to them saying: “Do not be afraid; for see – I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people.”
The field was a quaint place and had a beautiful view of a valley. I can imagine the shepherds sitting around a campfire discussing the day’s activities when their lives were changed forever. Once the angels appeared they decided to go to see for themselves. I had originally thought that this journey would be a long one taking several hours, but the distance between the field and the believed birthplace of the Christ Child is less than two miles away – meaning they could have been there within the hour.
Just think – they had witnessed the angels singing in the sky and within the hour they were sharing with Mary and Joseph the miraculous thing they had seen.
Many times we have amazing experiences in our lives, ones that are unbelievable, ones that can’t quite be explained. How many times do we keep those experiences to ourselves and not share them with others? How many times are we afraid to share the “God moments” in our lives?
I can’t think what the birth narrative would be like if the shepherds had kept their “God moment” to themselves. If they had stayed in their comfort zone on that hill after the angels left that evening what would the story be like today? I hope that during this Advent season you will share with others the incredible ways God impacts your life.
Brent Manning, Director of Communications
