BIBLE READING: Luke 2:8-20
Everyone was laughing and enjoying themselves, and they were all excited for the wedding that was about to take place the next day. Twas the night of the rehearsal dinner in a barn on the beautiful rolling hills of Kentucky, and my little niece, Addy, who was two at the time, was wandering around from room to room with her grandpa. She stumbled into a room full of strangers and people she didn’t know only to look around and declare with her hands lifted high, “AH MY PEOPLE!”
Whether we’re two like little Addy or ninety-two, we all have a deep intrinsic desire to have people in our lives. People to celebrate life with, but also people to face hardship with. I don’t know who said, “misery loves company,” but they understood the importance that relationships play in the lives of human beings.
When it comes to waiting and preparing for the coming of Jesus into the world, we need to realize that we need to be doing this in community. My favourite group of people in the Christmas story are the shepherds. This group of guys had been through thick and thin together. They faced hardship from predators and thieves, but they also received the joy of accomplishing long journeys together despite difficult circumstances.
They are minding their own business when some angels come by and take them by total surprise. The angels announce an important message to the whole group and the whole group decides to come to see the thing that has happened.
Preparing for, and experiencing, Jesus is not something that we were ever meant to do alone. What other Christians are you in relationship with who are helping you be a more devoted follower of Jesus? What people are there in your life who you could invest in and be the person who helps lead them to Jesus? We all have people in our lives. Will you be like the shepherds and bring them to Jesus?
(We would like to thank Parkview Christian Church, Orland Park, Illinois for providing this plan)