Worship

Worship

The shepherds went back to their fields and flocks, glorifying and praising God for what the angels had told them, and because they had seen the child, just as the angel had said.

Luke 2:20

Before the births of my three sons, my husband and I made lists of people we wanted to call after our babies were born. The grandmas and the grandpas were at the top of the list. Next came the aunts and uncles, and then our close friends.

Who did God choose to tell first about his son’s birth? Shepherds! An angel of the Lord appeared to humble shepherds who were quietly doing their jobs—tending their sheep underneath the night sky. How encouraging! God doesn’t seek people with extraordinary qualifications. His good news was—and still is—for everyone. He comes to anyone with a heart humble enough to receive him.

The joyful news announced to the shepherds was that the Savior of the world had just been born in Bethlehem, and that they could find him there, lying in a manger. As soon as that announcement was made, an army of angels sang, “Glory to God in the highest”—words that have inspired more Christmas songs for the last two thousand years than we could begin to count. This was the most joyful news ever announced in history. The humble shepherds, along with the angels, were among the first to worship and praise God for sending Jesus!

The shepherds leave us a great example for our personal worship. Worship doesn’t need to wait for a church service, and it doesn’t need to be complicated. It is praising God for what he’s done, right where we are. May we, like the shepherds, worship God with humble hearts.

Father,

Thank you that you chose humble shepherds to praise you with the angels at Jesus’ birth. We want to worship you too. In the glorious name of Jesus, amen.