Comfort Zone vs. Obedience

Merry Christmas Everyone! Hope your day was great!

You wouldn’t believe Atlanta traffic this morning! We headed for Alpharetta for the day, and the road which is usually wall to wall slow moving traffic was empty! A Christmas Miracle!

The real Christmas miracle happened many years ago. I love the story of the shepherds who were among the first to know the joy of the first Christmas. They were what people today would call marginalized. For many reasons, at that time shepherds were considered the lowest of society.

But sometimes I wonder if they thought that about themselves. They had the important job of tending the sheep used in temple sacrifice. I think they may have enjoyed their outdoor occupation, the fresh air, and especially the night sky. It was probably a hard, sometimes dangerous job. But like Mike Rowe says, rough, dirty jobs are legit!

As I reread the Christmas story, I was once again impressed with the simple faith of the shepherds. Yes, they had an angelic visit. We’d probably have a great faith at that point.

Or would we? Would we hurry to do as the angels told us to do, or would we analyze the situation to death before we obeyed the Word of God? Would we stop to consider what the town folk would think of us? Would we fear rejection or ridicule? Or horrors of horrors – we could possibly offend someone!!!

The shepherds went immediately to see the Messiah. The Messiah would be the ultimate, sacrificial Lamb. This Son of God would eventually terminate the need for their specific occupation, yet they hurried to adore this Babe. Then, despite their reputation as liars and thieves, they went around telling the Good News of the birth of Messiah. Their immediate obedience resulted in being among the first to see the Christ, the Promised Messiah! Can you imagine the stories they told around the campfires at night as they remembered the awesome experience?

Are we, who have historical hindsight and the Biblical accounts of Jesus’ birth, as willing to go beyond our comfort zones to share the miracle of Christ? Are we willing to share with others the amazing ways God has blessed our lives and what Jesus means to us?

Probably not. At least not as often as we should. The question is why?

God Bless!

KB

Luke 2:8-20 tells the story.