For years, I had the children in my Sunday school classes create paper Christmas ornaments with “Be a shepherd” slogans. I asked them to hang the ornaments from trees or refrigerators or door knobs in their homes.

(Yes, I allowed liberal use of glitter. Yes, I heard from parents after the ornaments shed glitter on clothes, car interiors, and carpets. Yes, glitter is now banned in my classroom.)

The lesson was simple: We can’t be Mary or Joseph or the angels, but we can all be shepherds. In Luke’s Christmas story, the angels shared the “good news… great joy… all the people” message with the shepherds, then returned to heaven.

The shepherds were left in the dark. No instructions. No commandments. It was a write-your-own script moment.

“…the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened…’“ They chose to spend more time with Jesus. They made growing a relationship with Jesus their priority.

After spending time at the manger, the shepherds faced another write-your-own-script moment. “When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child.”

And here’s a really encouraging nugget from Luke’s account: “…all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them about this child…“ Luke didn’t say “many” were amazed, or “most” were amazed. Luke is reminding us that people need and want to hear more about the love of Jesus.

Let’s pray together for opportunities to grow closer to Jesus and then share His good news through this Christmas season.

On December 3, as the sun sets around 4:54 p.m., from wherever you are, with whoever wants to join you, let’s ask God to grow us as shepherds.

Lord, show us how we can move closer to you. Help us to make prayer, worship, Bible study, meditation, service, and sharing a priority. Show us how to step away from the chaos and seek your voice, your peace, your light.

Lord, show us how and where and when we can share the good news of your love for all people. Help us find the ailing, the isolated, the angry, the addicted, the anxious, the exhausted, the hungry, the uncertain, and the unaware. Show us who needs to be amazed this Christmas.

Lord, help each of us to be a shepherd.