SCRIPTURES: LUKE 2:8-20
Luke 2:8-20 NIV
And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. [9] An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. [10] But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. [11] Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. [12] This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” [13] Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, [14] “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” [15] When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” [16] So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. [17] When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, [18] and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. [19] But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. [20] The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.
The author of the book A Disciples Heart, James a. Harnish, poses a difficult question to the reader. He inquires: If the Christian faith were to be compared to a case of the flu, would anyone be at risk of contracting the illness because of you? How contagious do you think you are?
I have to admit that this is a question that gets right to the heart of the matter. How contagious are we as Christians? How much of a heart-warming desire do we have to communicate the good news of the Gospel and the love of God with others?
John Wesley believed that one of the most telling signs that a person was on the path to becoming a better Christian was when they had a deep desire to share the love of God with others.
The shepherds were protecting their sheep when they saw an angel who was announcing that the Messiah was coming. It was an angel who told the shepherds where Jesus was. They ran to see him right away. As soon as the shepherds saw that it was all true, they went out and told everyone about it.
There isn’t a lot we know about the shepherds, but we do know that they were social outcasts in their time. It was because of their social status that they were the least likely people to get into any big news or be credible witnesses to it, so they didn’t even bother trying to be more credible to people.
What happened to them and the reason for which they were distributing the news to everyone is entwined in this story. They saw the Savior as a baby, they saw the angels, and they knew it was all true. They also understood that God had chosen them to see and share it with the rest of the world.
What occurs to us today is that we know the gospels are true, we know that Jesus is our Savior and we love him, and we know that we have been chosen by God to spread the good news of God’s salvation through Jesus Christ with others. The reality is that if the truth we are trying to spread isn’t alive in our everyday lives, it often prevents us from becoming contagious Christians.
What I’m getting at is that we don’t spend nearly enough time with Jesus. We don’t get to know him on a daily and in-depth basis. We aren’t filled with His Spirit, as we should be. It is as a result of this that we go about our lives, carrying out our responsibilities without much excitement. The apathy we experience in our life often reflects the distance there is from having a vibrant and thrilling connection with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. At the end of the day, we will not share anything that we do not vividly enjoy.
We are fortunate in that we have a Savior who is pursuing us. Wesley identified three types of grace: prevenient grace, which is God’s active presence in people’s lives before they are aware of it; justifying grace, which is God’s forgiveness of all sins; and sanctifying grace, which allows people to grow in their ability to live in the way of Jesus.
Having this sanctifying grace lets us see that God is always trying to get closer to us in a one-on-one relationship with the Holy Spirit so that He can change our minds and change us from being self-centered to loving others, from being greedy to giving, from being isolated and racist to fighting for social justice, and so on. It’s an invitation from the cross for us to draw near to the cross every day and experience how Jesus’ resurrection can change our lives. We are enabled then to see our shortcomings turned into a living testimony of grace that we can share with others.
We are being converted from apathetic and indifferent people into contagious Christians. It’s all because of His Grace. It’s all because of His love. All of this is made possible by the genuine and living connection we have with the Living God! May Christian contagiousness rise among us!
Reflection questions:
- Think about how you’ve grown in Christ. In your spiritual journey, what would you say is a good thing to share with others?
- When people look at your life, they should be able to see and feel how Christ’s love is shown. What do you think people could learn from you?
- In your life, who has been labeled as an outcast and why? How would you go about sharing with them of the wonderful news of the gospel?
Prayer: God, open my ears and eyes today to the fact that there could be people in my neighborhood waiting to hear from you. Prod me to be a shepherd who spreads your love to people who are easy to love and people who aren’t. This week, help me to be bold and gentle so that I can spread the good news. Amen.
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