From Wonderful to Witnesses
Faithful Witnesses
After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished, but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often.
The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them. Luke 2:17–20 (NLT)
Break It Down
Luke presents the shepherds’ response to Jesus’ birth as a complete and intentional pattern of faith.
It begins with divine revelation. Heaven breaks into the ordinary night as angels announce good news of great joy, declaring glory to God and peace on earth (Luke 2:8–14).
The shepherds respond immediately. They do not delay. They say to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened” (Luke 2:15). And they go at once. Faith moves them from hearing to willing obedience.
They see the child lying in the manger and Luke tells us plainly, “After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened” (Luke 2:17).
Finally, the shepherds return to their fields glorifying and praising God (Luke 2:20). Nothing outward has changed, yet everything inward has. Worship flows naturally from this encounter.
The Pattern Is Complete
• Heaven announced (Luke 2:8–14)
• They went and saw (Luke 2:15–16)
• They testified (Luke 2:17)
• They worshipped (Luke 2:20)
God reveals and we respond. We then get to bear witness. And the natural response, we worship.
God’s Intention
God delights in using ordinary people to carry extraordinary truth.
The shepherds were not wealthy or influential. They were regular men, from the hills around Bethlehem. Yet God entrusted them with the first public testimony of the Messiah’s arrival.
Because God does not require status or strength. He invites those who are available.
Weave in the Passage
The angels have departed and the night grows quiet again. The shepherds had hurried into Bethlehem and found exactly what they were told, a young mother, a carpenter, and a baby lying in a feeding trough.
There was no palace, ceremony or display of power. Yet this child is the One heaven announced.
They return to their flocks glorifying and praising God, changed forever.
Application for Today
You do not need a platform or title to carry the good news. Faith still follows this rhythm today. God reveals and we get to choose how we respond. We then have the blessing of participating in testifying to what she has done. And we worship.
Prayer
Gracious God,
Thank You for revealing Yourself to ordinary people.
Help me to respond faithfully, testify courageously, and worship wholeheartedly.
Amen.
Reflection
What has God revealed to me?
What am I being invited to share?
How can I return to everyday life glorifying God?