Promise:
God’s assignment can interrupt what we think of as our work
Passage:
Have you ever started your day with a calendar full of meetings and priorities, only to have it interrupted by other priorities? It happened to me on the day my job was eliminated, and all the deadlines, calendar invites, and important tasks were no longer my responsibility. My work was interrupted for what I believed, at first, was for the worst. Perhaps you have a similar story of unwelcome disruption.
There are others in the Biblical record who had their work interrupted. Moses was minding his own business when God met him in a burning bush to give him a new assignment. Zachariah had his work ss a priest interrupted with mutism until his promised, but unlikely son, John the Baptist, was born. Saul, a persecutor of Christian converts, had his mission to eradicate the early church interrupted by a vision of the risen Christ and several days of blindness.
In this reflection, we want to focus on a group of employees who faced a major disruption: an army of angels descending on their workplace announcing Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem.
Shepherds had a messy job. They were outdoors in the elements, either working a family farm or as a hired hand. They lived around sheep (which are the dumbest and have to be the worst co-workers ever). They didn’t have access to the city’s amenities or excitement. They worked terrible hours and faced dangers. They didn’t have dental.
And yet, they were the first to meet the newly born Jesus. They were the first to spread the word of his arrival. They went from being shepherds (the lowliest in society), to being God’s messengers (like the angels). All in one night.
What began as cowardice and confusion, ended with curiosity and confidence. God knew the sheep would keep, but that these enthusiastic, action-oriented chaps would be the right ones to throw the birthday party for the infant savior of the world. They returned in a spirit of gratitude and praise for the gift of the Messiah. This is a gift we still receive today and sometimes our work and plans need to be interrupted in order to remind us of the greater priorities and plans that God has in store.
Practice:
Read the following once to familiarize yourself with the story.
8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
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.
Now, think about the interruption and actions of the shepherd from God’s perspective and ponder these questions?
· What was most important that night: the sheep or the savior?
· What did the shepherds do after they found Mary and Joseph? How was this a divine assignment?
· How might of their testimony about the angels been a message of encouragement to Mary?
· How did the shepherd’s evangelism change the community?
· How did their experience that night change them?
Pause:
What curiosity and confidence can you now claim from the interruption of your life? How can your testimony of God’s faithfulness, even at this time of transition, be an encouragement to others? How can you approach an interruption today with praise and gratitude?
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