The book of Luke tells a very powerful Christmas message that often is just shared as a complementary piece in a bigger story.
If you recall, there were shepherds working the night shift out in the fields watching over the flock of sheep. A messenger from God appears to them proclaiming the long-awaited Messiah’s birth.
Immediately after that proclamation, a multitude of angels appear singing a proclamation song. The shepherds leave the flock to go and see for themselves. They find the baby Messiah just as the Angel told them. They took it all in and returned to their work telling everyone what they experienced.
An unlikely choice:
Not only did God choose an unknown girl named Mary and a small-town carpenter named Joseph to be Jesus’s earthly parents, but He chose one group to share the news with that night. That group was a lowly bunch of shepherds working the graveyard shift out in the fields. An unlikely group to say the least.
An unlikely message:
The Messiah wouldn’t enter the world in a warm, comfortable hotel room, but rather be laid in a feeding trough. The message of joy was wrapped in humility. The long-awaited King would begin with a servant’s focus. What an unlikely message.
An unlikely concert:
The multitude of angels gave a magnificent performance like the world has never seen, but it was given to just a few shepherds, not a sold-out arena. The setting was a dark hillside with no publicity announcing the performance. What an unlikely choice.
An unlikely response:
Upon finding the baby Messiah just as the Angel proclaimed, they rejoiced, returned to work, and told everyone what they had experienced. They didn’t feel the need to quit their jobs, take a few days off, or try to better understand what was going on by talking to more educated scholars. They simply went back to their normal lives, sharing a very abnormal message! What an unlikely response!
It was an unlikely night for sure in many respects.
If we were honest, we would have unlikely stories too. Some of us recognize these unlikely occurrences, while others of us are too self-absorbed to even notice.
What if the shepherds were too busy to listen to the angel that night? What if they had stayed with the sheep rather than leaving them to go and see? What if they had agreed to just keep that night’s experience to themselves – after all, who would believe them?
Let’s face it; we fail to recognize the unlikely moments because we are either too busy, too consumed, too comfortable, or too careful.
This Christmas, make a commitment to watch for the unlikely. It’s in the “unlikely” that great things happen, great stories unfold, and live are impacted in unlikely ways!
Doug provides professional speaking and coaching services to organizations and individuals. Whether you are looking for a speaker for your next event or a leadership coach to develop people and build a team culture, feel free to reach out to Doug at doug.strickel@gmail.com and learn more about PLUS.
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