Good morning friends. Merry Christmas 🎄

“(Luke 2:15-20) 15 So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, “Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger. 17 Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. 18 And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds. 19 But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them.”

When the angels departed, the shepherds didn’t sit and ponder indefinitely, they went with haste. Their response to God’s revelation was immediate, wholehearted, and filled with expectation. They didn’t wait for better timing, clearer instructions, or more comfortable circumstances. They simply obeyed.

Upon seeing the Christ Child, they couldn’t keep the news to themselves. Scripture says they “made widely known” what had been told them. Their encounter with Jesus overflowed into testimony. And Mary, in contrast to the shepherds’ outward proclamation, treasured these things quietly, pondering them in her heart. Two responses, both faithful, both worshipful.

When God speaks, respond. The shepherds remind us that obedience is often simple: hear, trust, and move.

Share what God has shown you. Their joy became a witness that glorified God.

Treasure Christ deeply. Mary models a reflective faith that holds God’s work close and meditates on it.

May we have the shepherds’ eagerness to obey and Mary’s heart to treasure His life, His word. Let Jesus fill your life so deeply that you cannot keep from sharing Him with others.