TIS THE SEASON TO BE BUSY!

Luke 2:8-15 That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. 9 Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, 10 but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. 11 The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! 12 And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.” 13 Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.” 15 When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

The government had everyone traveling back to their “hometowns” for a tax census. Isn’t that convenient? Mary and Joseph were not exempt, in spite of her great expectancy. Most people probably stayed with family, who had remained in their hometowns. Joseph and Mary had to drop everything, including their new and controversial relationship and Joseph’s work at his business. I’m sure it was slow going, as they traveled the 65 mile journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem. Joseph’s family was from Bethlehem. No room was to be found! “Can you stay in the stable?”

Then there were the shepherds. Perhaps they were responsible for “Passover lambs,” and were about to find the ideal staging area near Jerusalem to sell them to pilgrims. Regardless, their schedule had an additional interruption. A large group of angels announced that the promised Messiah was born in Bethlehem. Somebody proposed that they go see the new born King. Who is going to stay back and watch the sheep? How are we going to explain all this to the boss, the owner of the sheep? They were already tired from keeping up with the wandering sheep, and now took on an additional 12 mile roundtrip of hiking the stony terrain from the shepherd’s fields near Jerusalem to Jesus birthplace.

We find similar stresses and busy schedules, full of interruptions, at Christmas. Families want you at their Christmas tree, at the same time, hundreds of miles apart. How can we arrange our time off at work? Do we have to sleep on the air mattress, again? A tiredness usually occurs, unless you are 5 years old. But, it is all about Good News. Yes, we have to find a moment to stop, and remember the angel’s announcement.

“I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!

Yes, there is joy, when you stop and think about it!

Mike Ladd