15 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.”
16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 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.
Reading this passage always makes me think of how excited and in awe of God the shepherds must have been. Not only did the angels appear to them to inform them of the birth of the Savior, but after meeting Baby Jesus, they ran to other places proclaiming the good news. I can only imagine what it must have been like to meet Jesus and be so filled with the Holy Spirit that they knew they had to go and tell everyone. If “Go Tell It On The Mountain” existed back then, I’d be willing to bet that it would have been the shepherds’ favorite song! There is such a sense of wonder and amazement about God that when we feel that Holy Spirit, we just cannot contain it. We feel the need to run and tell everyone we know the good news! The shepherds returned to their flocks and continued to sing of God’s praises and glorifying God for all that they had seen.
I also could not read this passage without mentioning Mary. At first, I wonder what emotions Mary must have felt when the shepherds appeared to her proclaiming that the Lord had told them of her child’s birth. I would imagine she must have been at least a little confused, but probably just accepted it. After all, the Lord did appear to her and let her know that she had been chosen to carry the Son of God in the first place. We as humans cannot comprehend the plans that God has for us, but we know that those plans are good! Just as Mary could not have fathomed the impact of her faithfulness to God, just as the shepherds could not comprehend that they had been chosen to hear of the Savior’s birth, we may not always understand how God may be able to use us. But part of the good news of Jesus is that God has good news and good plans for us all!
Have you ever seen or experienced something so amazing that you had to run and tell everyone? How can you remind yourself of God’s good plans for you this holiday season?
