LUKE 2:8-20
The Angels Announce Jesus to the Shepherds
8 Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night.
9 And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid.
10 Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people.
11 For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.”
13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying:
14 “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”The Shepherds Visit Jesus
15 So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, “Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.”
16 And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger.
17 Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child.
18 And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds.
19 But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart.
20 Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them.
Dear Friends,
As Christmas draws near, I find myself returning to the story of the shepherds on that holy night. These were people like us—dedicated to their work, committed to their responsibilities, doing what they knew best. They were keeping watch over their flocks when their night turned to light, and an angel delivered news that changed everything. The long-awaited Savior had come, and they were invited to be the first to see Him.
I wonder:
> Who took care of the sheep?
> Did it even matter to the shepherds in that moment?
The Scripture doesn’t tell us.
All we know is that the shepherds, absorbed by the message and the glory of God’s presence, didn’t linger. They left their sheep, their work, and their routines without hesitation. It says they went 'with haste' to find Jesus, driven by love and trust in God, ready to worship Him.
The Pause
The beauty of this story isn’t just in the grandeur of the angels’ song but in the shepherds’ simplicity of faith.
They didn’t say, “Let’s go and see if this is true.” There was no room for doubt.
Instead, with full hearts, they said, “Let us go… and see this thing which the Lord has made known to us.” They trusted the message and left everything behind.
These humble men, often overlooked, became the first to witness and share the Good News, ministering even to Mary herself in that holy moment as it says ‘she pondered these things in her heart.’
And so, they went with haste, following only the Spirit and the promise of seeing God in human form. Afterwards, they told everyone they could about what they saw and became the first evangelists, not out of duty but out of pure devotion.
I wonder this Christmas—has God ever captivated you?
The Backseat
As artists, we understand devotion, don’t we? It’s easy to feel attached to our work, to feel that our work has to be just so, to feel responsible for our creations, for the projects and visions that keep us up at night. We can spend endless hours refining and perfecting, but this story reminds us of something profound: none of that matters more than being with Jesus.
Like the shepherds, we’re invited to leave behind our work and make haste to worship Him. To rest in His presence. To let our calling as creators become secondary, even momentarily unimportant, in light of being with the One who created us.
This Christmas, I encourage you to set down your brush, your pen, or whatever tool you create with, and make time to experience God’s presence. Just you and Him.
Rest from your work and be with Him. The shepherds knew who they would worship, and they knew that He alone was worth it. After all, God’s gift to us is His presence; His Son, born to dwell among us.
So I ask you, as I ask myself: Do you go with haste to see Jesus, or do you linger at your easel?
God’s glory calls us, not just to create but to worship, to make space for Him above all. Yes, art can be worship, but sometimes our art can also become our reason to avoid true worship. It can easily be elevated above God; t can become an idol if we’re not careful.
The shepherds didn’t hesitate—they went quickly, and when all was said and done, they glorified God. Their lives were forever marked by that moment. And their story, told and pondered, changed the world.
Now I can hear you say, ‘I don’t know how to be in God’s presence.” Well, the shepherds also didn’t know where Jesus was. They only knew how to recognize Him when they got there. They had to take the first steps towards finding him and they had to trust adn follow the Holy Spirit on their search to find Him.
For us that means getting quiet, laying down all of work, opening up the bible, asking God to come, trusting Him to come and then meet Him in His Word.
I wouldn’t recommend starting in Leviticus. Maybe the Psalms, Proverbs or the beautiful story that begins Luke is a great place to start. And don’t give up until you do meet Him.
James 4:8, “Draw near to me and I will draw near to you.”
May we, too, go with urgency, with full hearts, to worship Him, to set aside our art and lay it all at His feet. May this Christmas be a time where God captivates us, so that when all is said and done, we return glorifying Him, for all that we have seen and heard.
Wishing you a Christmas filled with rest, peace, and the deep presence of our Savior,
Stay Bold, 
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