They returned. Not all came to see, but those who saw returned not the same. To those still in darkness, light and joy was brought by those who had heard, seen and believed. You have heard My voice; you have seen My salvation; you have believed in My Name and have risen to life. Now return, not of the world, but to the world. They are still in darkness, those you call friends, in sin still perishing. Go and tell what you have seen, the Love you have known. To those in the fields I have shown Hope, and they again returned to their fields, but with glad tidings not known to them before. Bring what you have received. Return to your fields and bear witness to what your Lord has done. I Am who Am, and I have done this. Return and rejoice to the lost – that they would know the way to find Me.
Luke 2:20 (ESV) – And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.
Bottom Line: Christmas should never be “behind us”. Maybe the hustle and bustle of shopping and entertaining, but what happened in that stable should not be just a once-a-year musing. Instead, it should be our song all year long – Jesus, Emmanuel, God with us, everyday – the Salvation of mankind, Hope for the broken, Light for those in darkness. It is not just a day or season, it is the single turning point on which all of creation pivoted. God entered His creation to seek and save the lost. We know some of those whom He seeks. The shepherds did not visit the stable and return to business as usual. After their Christmas, they had some friends who came immediately to mind, and they returned to spread the great news of that day!
