Note: This devotion material was purchased digitally from YM360 to be used for the Advent Season of 2024.
Day Nineteen: The Shepherds Share Hope
“And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.” — Luke 2:16-20
Imagine you are one of the shepherds on the night of Jesus’ birth. Reread these verses from that perspective now!
Can you even imagine discovering that Jesus had been born? And the shepherds didn’t keep quiet about what they saw! After meeting Jesus, they praised God and spread the word that the long-awaited Messiah was finally here!
These shepherds weren’t people of power or great influence; they were just regular people who were going about their regular, non-glamorous lives. In fact, shepherds were considered lowly in society and in the culture of the time. But God chose them to be some of the first to see His Son, experience the birth of hope firsthand, and share the Good News! From this, we learn that anyone, no matter who they are, can be used by God to tell others about Jesus.
The song “Go Tell It on the Mountain” is often sung during the Christmas season. The lyrics talk about the role of the shepherds in spreading the Good News of Jesus’ birth! It also encourages us to go and share the Gospel everywhere, just like the shepherds did.
We live in a world of people who need to experience the hope that Jesus offers but don’t yet know about it! And we don’t need to wait to tell them about it. Just like the shepherds, we can be the people to share the Good News: that God sent Jesus to Earth to save us from our sins so that we could be with God forever.
Now, “go tell it on the mountain, over the hills, and everywhere that Jesus Christ is born!”
Questions:
1. Why is the hope of Jesus good news to you?
2. Who is someone you know that needs to hear the Good News of Jesus right now?
3. How can you tell or show that person the Good News today?