Don't Miss It

The inn keepers missed IT. The weary travelers missed IT. Who could blame them. After all, both groups were very busy. The inn keepers had people to take care of, animals to feed, bread to make, etc. The guests had appointments to be kept, taxes to be paid, things to be done. Yes, I'm afraid both groups missed IT - they missed the birth of Christ.

But the shepherds...well, they did'nt miss IT at all. They got all Christmas had to offer. They got the angels. They got the glory of God. They got Jesus.

Luke 2:15 tells us that after the angels went back into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "'Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us." And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger."

Did you get that? Did you ever notice that the shepherds didn't simply praise God out in the field for the birth of His Son? They didn't consider themselves to be too busy to worship. Nope. Instead, they "made haste" to go see this thing the angel had proclaimed to them.

The shepherds got it. They got the wonder and amazement, the miraculous and the importance of Christmas. They might not have understood every implication of this event, but they still celebrated it just the same.

It's often my prayer this time of year, "Lord, don't let me miss Christmas. Don't let me miss Your birthday. Let me celebrate it the way You want it to be celebrated. Let it be about You and not about me!"

This Christmas, let's make haste to see Jesus, so we don't miss IT. Let's not allow the having (or not having) the perfect presents, the perfect family and the perfect emotional state of mind to keep us from missing Jesus. Let's not stay out in the field of busyness and miss celebrating the birth of the King. Let's instead, make haste to Jesus...make haste.