Jeremiah 29:13

How to Prepare for Christmas: Part Four

Tomorrow we will all celebrate another Christmas. And as we conclude this four-part series on How to Prepare for Christmas, I hope you will have a wonderful day with family and friends!

As we prepare for tomorrow, I would like to take one last look at the Christmas story in Luke 2. Luke 2:10 says,

And the angel said to them, "Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people."

As we've talked about before, this event happened between an angel and shepherds. As far as we know, there were no people involved in the story other than the shepherds. Now, imagine you were them.  You had just been visited by a host of angels and told an incredible story. Put yourself in their shoes: what would you have done? You would have left everything to investigate the story, and that's exactly what they did.

Go And See

In Luke 2:15, the Bible says,

When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, 'Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.'

The shepherds could not wait to see the Savior in the stable. Luke 2:16 says "they went with haste" to see this Heavenly Child. They just HAD to see Him.

Today God invites all of us to "go and see." Everyone can see for themselves the story of the Child who became a Man and Savior of the world. All they have to do is read the Christmas story and ask Jesus to show Himself to them. Jeremiah 29:13 says,

You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.

If we come and see, we will seek and find.

Go And Tell

Do you know the story behind the song, "Go Tell it On the Mountain"? According to Soundprint, it was an African-American spiritual song written about the birth of Christ. Just as a reminder, the chorus goes like this:

Go, tell it on the mountain
Over the hills and everywhere
Go, tell it on the mountain
That Jesus Christ is born

I'm not sure what the shepherds did with the news they received. Luke 2:20 only says they were "glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen." It doesn't say that they told anyone. But I imagine that they couldn't keep this news to themselves. They HAD to tell someone else.

And that is the challenge to all of us. Those of us who know Jesus have to go and tell. This news is just too good to keep to ourselves. In the coming year, I pray that Jesus will give you and me lots of opportunities to go and tell.

I wish you and your family a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!