Let’s go! That’s the response the shepherds made to the angel’s invitation to visit the new-born Messiah. (Luke 2:8-20)
How did the shepherds know where to go? The angels had not told them precisely where the manger stood. Undaunted by the lack of travelling instructions, the shepherds searched until they found Joseph and Mary and the new-born Baby wrapped in strips of cloth just as other Bethlehem babies were wrapped when they were born.
We are not told what the shepherds did when they saw the Baby. Neither are we told how long they stayed. What we are told is that they believed and that joy overflowed from them from the moment they saw Him. Joy flows from us when we know we are loved. God’s Christmas gift to these shepherds through the angels was just this: the news that, at the beginning of the new era that the Messiah’s birth heralded, they were included and not ignored, accepted and not rejected, chosen and not cast aside for being ‘unclean’. For shepherds who were criticized by the rabbi for being ceremonially soiled, this healing, liberating message gave them a brand new start in life. No wonder they were bursting with joy. Joy flows from us, too, when we know that we have something worthwhile to share with others. No wonder the shepherds gossiped the Gospel to all they met. They had seen the promised Messiah with their very own eyes. They wanted everyone to share the good news. Joy is contagious and those who heard their tale reveled in it. No wonder they returned to their fields and their flocks glorifying and praising God.
(Joyce Huggett, JOY TO THE WORLD)