Christmas With the ChosenSample

Day 5 had you watching the shepherds rush to Bethlehem. Now? They’re rushing off.

Where to?

Not far — just to different corners of the sleepy town.

And why?

To ensure the townspeople know.

It’s funny: when we place the shepherds somewhere there in our nativity sets, we think we’re finding just the right spot for — well — shepherds. But they end up being a bit more than that in the Christmas Story, don’t they?

In many ways the shepherds are the first evangelists of the Bible.

This little circle of lowly men just cannot help but sense they're commissioned to make sure everyone knows that the great Rescuer of mankind — the Savior, the Messiah, Jesus — has finally come, and that with his coming, a great turning toward hope and peace and joy.

He came, so they went.

And of course they went.

They were shepherds, after all.

It’s in any good shepherd’s nature — in their personality and posture — to care about something other than just themselves. And good shepherds not only have it in them to care, but to provide care — to employ tender-but-firm voices to call out directions and warnings (and to make use of arm and crook to pull a bleating, bleeding sheep from a thicket when those directions and warnings have gone unheeded).

Jesus came, so of course they went.

And now — will we?

He has come; will we go?

It took no time at all in the life and ministry of Jesus for the missional needs to outgrow the reach and ability of a little circle of lowly shepherds.

And so Twelve were gathered and sent.

And then 72.

And then? Matthew 28.

Here we have a commission that tells us it’s to be in any good disciple’s nature to care about something (and someone) other than just themselves. And this commissioning tells us that any good disciple will not only have it in them to care, but to provide care — to “make (even more) disciples, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything Jesus has commanded.”

Look: there’s really no way for us to know what exactly your Christmas is going to look like this year.

But we hope it looks something like this, because it’s supposed to: