Miracle of Love: A 5-Day Devotional With Chris TomlinSample

Day 4: Shepherds & Wise Men

“And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.” Luke 2:8-9 (NIV)

The first people that God chose to meet the Christ child were lowly shepherds. First, there’s no room in the inn for the baby, and now his first visitors are going to be poor shepherds? The story continues to unfold in the most unexpected way.

Later on, wise men from the east came to see Jesus, bringing Him costly gifts. I wonder what the shepherds brought. Lambs? My guess is the gift of their presence was enough.

The contrast between these visitors is so stark. Smelly, unkept, blue-collar shepherds. Revered, trusted, educated wise men. Two completely different groups of people. Yet, I think that is at the essence of what God is trying to show us.

God sent the angels to lead the shepherds to Jesus, and God sent a star to lead the wise men to Bethlehem. When they arrived, their jobs didn’t matter. Their status wasn’t important. Their outfits, and even their gifts, weren’t pertinent. The experience was the same. They fell at the feet of this baby and worshipped Him. They encountered a transformation upon their arrival—shepherds and wise men alike.

I think it’s important to note that both the shepherds and the wise men were obedient to what God called them to do. When a heavenly host of angels appeared to the shepherds, at first they were afraid. Then, they recognized these angels as messengers from God, and they left their livelihoods and headed for the manger.

The same is true for the wise men. In obedience, they followed that bright light all the way to Jesus, and then they also obediently protected Him from the wrath of King Herod by encouraging Mary and Joseph to take a different route home.

The shepherds and the wise men give us two beautiful pictures of obedience. But they also give us two beautiful pictures of inclusion. Everyone is invited to the manger. 

Rich, poor, young, old. With or without gifts. We are all invited.

Beggars and kings / Let us come and adore Him / Rest in His peace / And bow before Him—“Christmas Day (feat. We The Kingdom)”