I used to love Christmas.
But over the years it seems like the busyness and workload have robbed me of some of my joy. Then you add in the grief of lost loved ones that gets stirred up at the holidays because they are no longer here to celebrate with us, and I no longer enjoy Christmas as I once did. And yet, there is one passage that always breaks through my crabbiness. The passage about the shepherds, a bunch of unlikely folks just doing their job out in the middle of nowhere—that is until they are woken up in the middle of the night by the glorious light of angels. The angels tell the shepherds that the Savior has been born and they respond by running to see if it is true…
“16 And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. 17 And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. 18 And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them….20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.” Luke 2:16–18, 20 (ESV)
The shepherds saw for themselves. They experienced the presence of God in the life of this little newborn child, and they told others. Everyone they told about it marveled. They were amazed—they were astonished at what the shepherds told them. They heard about Jesus’ birth, and they wondered.
Friends, this season, let us take time to experience the presence of God in the life of Jesus. Let us take time for wonder.
What would it take for you to experience the wonder of God in this moment? Marveling at the gift of music as you listen to a favorite song? Would it be gazing at the amazing, never-ending sky? Savoring the truth of a favorite scripture that speaks the astonishing truths of God? Remembering the moment you first believed God loved you?
You know what happens when Christ-followers take time to wonder? That same thing that happened to the shepherds when they returned from seeing Jesus. They glorify and praise God. Our hearts turn to worship. And worship is the opposite of crabbiness.
Let’s take some time, even if just a few moments, to enjoy Christ’s presence, let our imaginations fill with wonder, and let worship sing in our hearts.
“Lord, please help us notice all the wonder-filled things that you have put in our world. Let us see the ways you are inviting us to enjoy your presence today. Show us how to respond to what we notice and please give us grace to wonder and worship this Christmas. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
