By Pastor Dave Holland
“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.’”
“So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger.”
“When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.”
“But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.” — Luke 2:15–20
The angels vanished, the sky went quiet, and the shepherds were left standing in the dark. Can you imagine that moment with an angelic choir singing in the sky and then it ends? Hearts still racing, eyes wide, trying to process what just happened. Amazing.
But they didn’t stand around for long. They looked at each other and said, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened.”
Notice the urgency—they hurried off.
Faith doesn’t procrastinate. When God shows up, the right response is to move. To go. To step into what He’s doing.
The shepherds didn’t know exactly what they’d find. But they knew they had been invited. And when heaven invites you, you don’t stall — you run.
And sure enough, just as the angel said, they found the baby wrapped in cloths, lying in a manger. The Savior of the world, right there in the ordinary mess of a stable.
Their response didn’t stop at seeing. They became the first evangelists of the gospel. “When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child.”
Shepherds, the ones society overlooked, were the first to share the news of Jesus. And the people who heard them were amazed.
This is how the gospel spreads: ordinary people who have encountered Jesus telling others what they’ve seen and heard. You don’t have to have all the answers. You don’t need a polished sermon. Just share your story. “This is what God showed me. This is what I’ve experienced.”
Meanwhile, Mary responded differently to the angel’s message. “She treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.”
Some of us respond like the shepherds — loud, joyful, ready to tell everyone. Others respond like Mary — quiet, reflective, holding the mystery close and letting it sink in slowly. Both responses are holy. Both are worship.
The shepherds eventually returned to their fields. Life didn’t stop. Sheep still needed watching. Work still needed doing. But they returned changed. They glorified and praised God for everything they had seen and heard.
That’s what encountering Jesus does. It doesn’t always remove you from your ordinary life, but it transforms the way you live it. You go back to the same places — but with a new song on your lips, with worship in your heart.
This passage leaves us with a simple challenge: How will we respond to the news of Jesus?
Will we run to Jesus like the shepherds? Will we treasure the moment like Mary? Will we return to our ordinary lives carrying extraordinary joy?
The invitation is the same as it was that night: Come and see. Go and tell.
When God speaks or moves in your life, do you respond quickly like the shepherds and run to the manger, or reflect deeply like Mary?
Please pray with me: Lord, thank You for inviting me to the manger, to see Jesus with fresh eyes. Teach me to respond with urgency, like the shepherds, and with deep reflection, like Mary. As I go back into my everyday life, let my heart be full of praise. Amen.
Pastor Dave Holland and his wife, Jonie, have lived here on the Emerald Coast since retiring from pastoral ministry. Dave adapted this article from his new book, Light Slipping Through the Chaos, available on Amazon.com. He is also available to preach or teach at churches and conferences. Contact him at davidvholland54@gmail.com.
