Luke 2:15 – “When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

The witness of the angels was not an end in itself. The song of the heavenly host was not the grand finale to a moving performance. It never occurred to the shepherds to soak up the spectacle and then go out for pizza or go back to sleep. Revelation called for response. Worship provoked involvement. They could not simply turn off what they had seen or switch back into their normal routine.

They had to go and see what had happened. The blessing of preparation and proclamation led to the presence of Christ. And what they found did not disappoint them! It thrilled them. It is difficult to imagine a greater contrast between the angelic shout of “Glory to God in the highest” and the earthly sights and sounds of an infant, crying and cooing in a manger. But they believed. It was “just as they had been told.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, help us to discover the presence of Christ in the world in which You have called us to live. Enable us to glorify and praise You for all the things we have heard and seen. May we respond to you in ways that confirm Your witness and rejoice in Your work. Amen.