Christmas 2021 – The Shepherd’s Wife

Joke: The pastor’s family was invited to a just before Christmas dinner at the Wilson home.

Mrs. Wilson was widely known for her amazing contributions to church potlucks.

Everyone was seated around the table as the food was being served. As usual, it was a feast for the eyes, the nose, and the palate.

When the pastor’s youngest son, Peter, received his plate he started eating right away. ‘Peter, wait until we say grace,’ insisted his embarrassed father.

‘I don’t have to,’ the five year old replied.

‘Of course you do, Peter,’ his mother insisted rather forcefully. ‘We always say a prayer before eating at our house.’

‘That’s at our house,’ Peter explained, ‘but this is Mrs. Wilson’s house, and she knows how to cook.’

Shepherd’s Wife – week 4

I think it’s important for us to remember that the figurines we set out that are part of the Nativity sets and scenes we enjoy at Christmas represent real people.

They were not just characters in a story but individuals whose lives were deeply impacted when they saw Jesus and witnessed His Majesty that first Christmas.

Likewise, the lowly shepherds tending sheep were not just some props for a decorative piece in our homes; they were real people with real lives and families who experienced something. . .real.

And for the shepherds who were present in the Christmas story, they told everyone they crossed paths with the good news they had witnessed first-hand.

Show video:  WHM – www.skitguys.com

The shepherd’s wife in the video recounted part of that “good news” story found in Luke 2:8-20, but let’s take a moment to read it together once more. It truly is good news that needs to be shared with everyone.

Luke 2:8–20 (NIV): And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” 15 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.” 16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

The shepherds told and kept on telling a good news story that was worth sharing with everybody. . .everywhere.

When a person witnesses the majesty of God, it is always a story worth telling.

Truth is, when God does anything in a person’s life, it is a story worth sharing with others.

And God wants us to share our stories about Him and how He has impacted, influenced, and changed our lives from the inside out.

Psalm 96:3 (NIV): Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples.

There’s a song we sing around this time of the year that says, “go tell it on the mountain, over the hills and everywhere.”

And that is what the shepherd’s did.  That is what we need to do.  Not just during this time of the year, but at every opportunity throughout the year as well.

Truth is, we serve a story-loving and story-writing God.

The writer of Hebrews has something interesting to say in the description of who Jesus is in correlation to our stories.

Look what Hebrews 12:2 has to say.

Hebrews 12:2 (NIV): fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Have you ever really thought about what it means for Jesus to be the author of your faith story?

Do you realize that Jesus is authoring your faith story so that He can receive glory for Himself?

Ultimately, what that means is that your story is not so much about you. Instead, it is about living a life that constantly points back to the His birth, His life, His death, and the resurrection of Him. . .Jesus the Savior of the world.

That is what we see the shepherds doing in the birth narrative of Jesus’ story. They were telling their version of the story of what they saw, heard, and witnessed that focused on Jesus.

In other words, even though you have a main role in the story of your life, the true star of the script is the author and perfecter of your faith story. . .Jesus.

So, if you were hoping to star in your movie. . .SORRY!

John emphasizes this point in his gospel account when it says,

John 3:30 (NIV): He must become greater; I must become less.”

Or. . .as another person once said, “More of Jesus and less of me is a good thing!”

One of the most effective ways to tell others about Jesus and the story of the Gospel is to share your story.

That’s what the shepherds were doing in Luke 2. As a result of sharing their story, it likely impacted the spouses and family members they were close to, such as was represented by the shepherd’s wife in the video.

And she, in turn, then told the story and how it impacted her husband, herself, and their relationship.

Yes, stories are powerful and have a way of impacting our lives. Any good story has a beginning, a turning point, and then a conclusion that leads somewhere in response to the turning point.

I love listening to the late Paul Harvey’s rest of the story. . .stories.  They were captivating.

In our shepherd’s story, the beginning was them out in the fields keeping watch over their flocks by night.

The turning point was when the angels showed up with the good news of great joy about the Savior being born that they were invited to see as He lay in the manger in the City of David.

As they went and found the Christ-child wrapped in swaddling clothes in the manger, they witnessed His Majesty, just as the angels had told them.

The conclusion led them to leave the manger while praising God and telling everybody this good news that had been shared with them.

That was their story; they shared it freely and joyously because it was their personal experience.

And you may not have their story, but you do have a story.

And so, as you consider effective ways to share your own faith story with others, Doug Fields, in his resource “The Second Greatest Story Ever Told,” suggests organizing your thoughts around three chapters of your story.

These three chapters will be helpful to remember and retell your faith story repeatedly in your life. God desires you to be who you are and to share your story that includes:

1. What was your life like before you became a Christ-follower?
2. How did you became a Christ-follower? And. . .
3. What has happened in your life since you became a Christ-follower?

That’s your story. That’s sharing the good news. That is what is known as evangelism.

Evangelism is the spreading of the Christian gospel by public preaching or personal witness; in other words, it’s sharing your story of how you became a follower of Jesus and what life was like before and after that decision.

Evangelism is about investing in people relationally and inviting them into conversations about Jesus.

I love how Brian McLaren says it. “Count your conversations instead of your conversions.”

What he means is this: According to the Bible, it is God who draws all people unto Himself.  It is God who does the saving. The name of Jesus means “God Saves.” The angels told the shepherds to go to Bethlehem because a Savior had been born to save the world from their sins.

The book of Revelation chapter 7 verse 10 tells us that “Salvation belongs to our God. . .”

In other words, it is God who is authoring the salvation story across the globe, not us.  It was God’s idea for the incarnation to happen in such a way that eventually it would lead to the cross where Jesus would save the world from the sin that separated us from God.

Jesus is the central part of the salvation story.

However, God wants to write us into the script. God wants us to contribute a verse. God wants us to have a speaking role in the faith stories of other people who do not yet have a relationship with Jesus.

As we have opportunities to share our faith stories, just as the shepherds did, remember those three chapters we mentioned earlier:

1. What was your life like before you became a Christ-follower?
2. How did you become a Christ-follower? And. . .
3. What has happened in your life since you became a Christ-follower?

Being able to remember these three chapters in your story may help you stay focused when you have the opportunity to share it with others.

In fact, just remember this simple equation that Doug Fields suggests when organizing your thoughts in preparation to share your story:

BEFORE + HOW + SINCE = My Faith-Story

If you can remember that little equation when it comes to sharing your faith-story:  Before + How + Since. . .then you will be on your way to sharing your story in an effective and personal way.

And when you share your faith story, sometimes people will listen and be open; other times people may not respond that way.

Regardless, Revelation 7:10. “Salvation belongs to our God.”

Remember what metric we need to be focused on when it comes to sharing the good news of Jesus with others:

“Count your conversations and not your conversions.”

The conversation is your part.  Leave the conversion up to the Holy Spirit. That is His part. You just be faithful to share your story. You can control that part of things. You cannot control how people will respond. Leave that up to the Lord.

Paul said it best,

1 Corinthians 3:6–9 (NIV): I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. 7 So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. 8 The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. 9 For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building.

As you think about sharing your faith story with others, and that is my challenge for you this week, let me go back to the approach Doug Fields writes about on this subject in the previously mentioned work: The Second Greatest Story Ever Told.

He encourages you to do these things in advance of sharing your story:

• Pray – Before you begin talking to others about your story, be sure and remember to talk to God first. Ask God to help you organize your thoughts, prepare your heart and the heart of the person you will be talking with, and give you confidence to share your story in a way that God can work through you.
• Organize Your Thoughts by Chapter (Before + How + Since) Before you begin sharing your story, it might be wise to take some time to think through what it is that you want to communicate when the opportunity arises. Those who take time to prepare beforehand and think through what it is that they want to communicate generally are more effective in communicating their story to others. As you organize your faith story it may be helpful to do so by “chapter.” That Before + How +Since idea.
• Write It Out – Take time to sit down and write out your story verbatim. This simple exercise will help you dramatically as you think through what it is you want to say.

Let me add this to that.  I’m not suggesting that you repeat it just like you write it.  But maybe you need to do that to help get you started with your story.  Ultimately, we need to be sensitive to the Holy Spirits leading.  There are parts of my story I don’t share in every conversation.  But then there are times when the Holy Spirit will let me know that now is a good time to share that part I sometimes don’t.

• Watch Your Language- As you write out your story, be sure to remember that you may be talking with people who do not know “churchy language” or “Christianese,” as some have called it. So be aware of using words thatpeople who have not grown up in church may not know.

It might be as simply assaying:  I asked Jesus to be in charge of my life.   Instead of I asked Jesus into my heart.

Just be sensitive and intentional about the language that you use when writing down your story. If you cannot define a word you are using, chances are good the person you are talking with will not understand what you mean either.

• Keep It Short: 5 Minutes or Less – Many times you will have a window of opportunity when God has prepared the heart of the person you are talking with to hear what it means to become a Christ-follower. You need to be able to share your story from chapters 1-2-3 in five minutes or less.

This means you will need to know what you want to say and how you want to say it before that window of opportunity presents itself.

Remember, you are having a conversation. It’s not a sales pitch or just a spiel that recite that you are sharing. It’s your story.

That’s probably not what the shepherds did as they shared their story. It likely was much more conversational as they shared their story of encountering Jesus.

We should do the same.

Keep it short, simple, and clear.

• Practice, Practice, Practice

The most effective way to become comfortable with sharing your story is to do it. Practice with your friends, with your family, in the mirror.

Sharing your story should become second nature to you.

Be ready and able to share your story at anytime. And why shouldn’t you. . .it’s your story!

So share it like a shepherd who just witnessed His Majesty with somebody you cross paths within your everyday life.

Remember: BEFORE + HOW + SINCE = MY FAITH-STORY

Will you share your story with one person this week? It may just be the best Christmas present that you will give all season!

We have Christmas Eve service this Friday at 7.  How cool would it be for you to share your story and then invite them to encounter Jesus aNd invite them to join you for our Christmas Eve service.