Good Tidings of Great Joy
And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. 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. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. Luke 2:8-11
In a field, late at night while the rest of the village lay sleeping, those who’d largely been forgotten by the influential and prestigious, were met by an angel of the Lord. Good news had come for all who were weary and burdened and in need of rest. For the wandering and the doubtful and skeptical and left behind, the promise of God was made manifest. Immanuel finally arrived.
Here, we’re reminded: God keeps His promises.
Good news had come for all who knew their need for a Savior.
A Worthy Offering
The shepherds had open hearts to receive, and did not hesitate to believe the fulfilled promise of God. When the angel appeared to them in the fields, they dropped everything to go and see him. Their desperate need drew them to the bedside in a humble stable, abandoning their posts and going in haste to set their own eyes upon the baby Jesus. How can it be, they say. Who is this king?
The shepherds came before Jesus, overwhelmed with joy and hope – their hearts filled with a deep desire to give God their thanks and praise. Such humble and ordinary people, yet so precious in the sight of the Lord. How can it be? In all this baby’s quiet glory, the shepherds recognized that the miracle before them demanded more than words; his presence called for worship –
Wholehearted,
earnest,
grateful
Worship.
Loving God Wholeheartedly
And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them. Luke 2:20
Their response echoes the command Jesus would later speak so plainly, calling his disciples back to the Shema of the Old Testament, and the command to exclusively offer our deepest affections to God. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, he says in Matthew 22:37-40.
This is what we were made for, and what God is worthy of. Our hearts were made to be stirred by affection and love for Our Creator, drawing us into deeper relationship with the One who called it very good when He made us. As He looks upon us fondly, gently, and compassionately, with a zealous love for those He crafted in the likeness of His image, we look back at Him with wonderful awe. Because worship holds such deep significance and implications for our faith and trust in the Father, our worship has stood vulnerable since the Fall.
In the Old Testament, when God cries out over the state of His people, it’s often because they’ve built idols to worship in place of Him. Under Moses’ leadership, the people built a golden calf. With Ezekiel, the Israelites resurrected idols in the holy temples. In Malachi, the Israelites adopted the worship of their wives, forsaking the God who created them.
In the arrival of Jesus, God’s longing for our singular devotion to Him is reinforced – in the same way it continues to be throughout the gospels and beyond. The Shepherds’ response tells us this worship is still something that unifies man and God. Our worship is still something that moves the heart of the Father.
Here’s what is true: God doesn’t just want part of us. God is jealous for all of us. In Revelation 2:4, Jesus grieves over the church for abandoning their first love. Let us see what pleases the Lord, and moves His heart: a whole-life offering. All of our heart, soul, mind and strength.
Our worship is not only what He longs for; it’s what our hearts are compelled toward, too.
The Shepherds’ response to the arrival of Israel’s long awaited Redeemer and King was to glorify and praise Him – to direct their attention to the Lord’s unrivaled excellence. To honor God by worshipping Him in glory, radiance and splendor. To respond to this truth with endless praise: there is none like Him.
So, what is your offering? What is your song unending?
What can I give Him, poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb;
If I were a wise man, I would do my part;
Yet what I can I give Him—
Give my heart.
Christina Rossetti, In the Bleak Midwinter
We may feel poor in spirit, weary of whether we belong in the presence of the Lord. We might feel like we have nothing to offer a King. We might want to hide away, doubtful God would want anything you’d have to give Him. Beloved, if you only knew how patiently yet eagerly God waits for you. Be encouraged, He just wants your heart.
AW Tozer writes, God has already provided His salvation, that we might be vibrant children of God—loving Him fully and worshipping Him in the beauty of holiness. Our hearts, awakened by grace, become a worthy offering. There’s no earthly status that impresses God – just hungry hearts finding their rest in Him.
This is what He wants. This is what pleases God: hearts filled with wonder and awe, eager to lift their praises to no other than the Lord Our God.
The Shepherds left behind everything to behold Christ. Let us do the same.
Bless, o my soul, the God of grace,
His favors claim thy highest praise.
Why should the wonders He has wrought
be lost in silence, and forgot?
Let the whole earth His power confess,
Let the whole earth adore His grace.
The Gentiles, with the Jews,
shall join in work and worship so divine.
Isaac Watts
EMBOLDENED 