The other day I was talking with someone about television shows we used to watch. When I tell you the names of these shows, some will recognize them, but others may not. For example, I used to watch “Gilligan’s Island”, a show about 7 people shipwrecked on an island. One of my favorite shows, other than Andy Griffith, was “The Brady Bunch.”  The show about a man and a woman who each had three children and they got married to have six children, a dog, and a housekeeper. These were fun shows to watch. Not a lot to think about.

The thing I was discussing with my friend was what are all those actors that I used to watch, doing now. A few of them, off of these shows, continued in acting. Most, however, did not. Life had changed them. Whether it was because of the shows they were on or because of decisions they made in life, they just did not make it very big. They had their time in the spotlight.

At this time of year, with just a couple weeks left before Christmas, I always think about the people who are involved in the story we are focusing on, the Christmas story. Not Ralphie and the Red Ryder BB gun story, but the true and real Christmas story. Much like characters in a show, they all had their roles and they all made their appearances in the story. It was real. It was actually shepherds and Magi who saw the Christ child. But then, I really wonder what happened to them. We are told about what happened to the Shepherds, sort of. We are told that they left the manger to go back to the fields “praising and glorifying God for all they had seen and heard.” (Luke 2:20) What they experienced truly changed their message. It changed their purpose. What they had seen, the Christ child. What they had heard, the angel and the silence of the night. This had changed them and they told people about it.

They had seen stables before. They were shepherds. However, they had never seen a baby born in a stable. What a sight that must have been. If I were one of the shepherds, I would have probably just stared at Jesus and looked around in silence as well, taking it all in. It would have, and still does, take on a very real and sincere evaluation of my life and what I do from here on. Christ’s birth is not something we watch as a television show or holiday special. It is real and it should cause us to examine who we are and what we do for Jesus Christ. The shepherds went away and praised and glorified God, allowing others to see and hear how that day impacted them. Is that what we will do as well? Will we share with others about Jesus Christ and what His birth means to us? I pray we will. Until next week when we look at the Magi…

Peace and Blessings,

Johnny