Title: Christmas Series | The Shepherds’ Courage
Date:
Christmas is a great time for teaching. The season provides many opportunities for parents to pass down their faith. We don’t always think about using the story of the Birth of Jesus as a teaching tool, yet it has so many applications to teach our kids. In Base Camp, we focus on Loving God, Loving Others, and Sharing the Gospel. Those things aren’t always easy, but God asks us to do them.
The Shepherds’ Courage
Imagine this… a bunch of shepherds are out tending to their flocks when out of nowhere, an angel shows up and tells them not to be afraid and that he has Good News. Kudos to them for having the courage enough to stick around and listen instead of running away.
The angel says,
“Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
While they are processing everything they just heard, an army of angels begins to praise God.
That must have been amazing and a little bit scary! They immediately go to Bethlehem to see with their own eyes what the angels told them. They get there and find Mary, Joseph and the baby lying in a manger.
The shepherds have had quite a night and have experienced a lot, but the one thing about the shepherds that I find fascinating is what they do next. After they see Jesus in the manger, they immediately begin telling people what happened and why this baby was so special. Scripture says that all who heard the shepherds’ story were amazed at what they said. Remember, these are shepherds, not pastors.
Their first inclination after seeing Jesus was to go and tell people the Good News! They weren’t worried that people would think they were crazy. They weren’t worried about looking bad or getting the story wrong, because they knew it was the truth.
How does this turn into a parenting thing for my kids? Well, sharing the Gospel can be tough. It can be intimidating, frustrating, embarrassing, and scary. But you know what? We can point out what it was like for these most unlikely evangelists that knew the Good News and just couldn’t keep from sharing it.
Your partner in ministry,
Family Life Pastor
