The Weary World Rejoices: A 2020 Advent DevotionalSample

Day 4: Shepherds

Imagine being on a remote beach in the middle of the night. 

Walking along the soft, cool sand of the beach, your eyes might need time to adjust to the darkness around you. There are no streetlights, no lamps, no flashlights around. But then you look at the sky and stand in awe, mesmerized by the beauty and clarity of the numerous stars. Because there’s no artificial light to detract from them, these stars seem brighter and clearer than you’ve ever seen them.

Sometimes it takes being in total darkness to see the light that’s been around us the whole time. What had been distant is now startlingly clear.

Now imagine the shepherds standing in total darkness the night that the angel came to them. They were probably yawning, scanning the dark horizon for predators that could attack their flocks. Their eyes, too, had adjusted to pitch blackness with only the night sky as their source of light.

Scripture says that when an angel appeared, “the glory of the Lord shone around [the shepherds]” (Lk. 2:9b). Instantly, the shepherds were terrified. Between the angels themselves and the brilliant light of God’s glory, it’s understandable. 

Typically these “unclean” outcasts were kept away from society, but now they were suddenly in the spotlight. They were seen. They probably never expected the news of the Messiah’s birth to come to them. Or that God would use shepherds to declare the arrival of the Lamb of God.

God spoke to unlikely people. To a lowly virgin girl. To her tradesman betrothed. To untouchable shepherds. These unlikely people were to become His messengers in the most unexpected ways.

Years later, more unlikely people of that time—women—were chosen to deliver the news that Jesus had been resurrected. You might feel like an unlikely candidate, but God can use you to declare the Savior this Christmas season! He can use you to bring light that breaks through a weary, dark world.

Questions for Reflection:

• When was the last time you received good news? Who delivered the news to you?
• If you were a townsperson and received the news of Jesus’ birth from a shepherd, how would you have responded?
• God uses unlikely people to bring about His kingdom on earth. How can that fact encourage you this week?