"And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them."
Luke 2:20
“And the shepherds returned,”
They “returned.” The shepherds couldn’t spend their lives listening to the angels, or even visiting with the Christ Child, as great as those special times were. They still had their families to feed and their jobs to do. They could not stay on the “mountaintop” on that glorious night, they had to return to the valley where their daily lives were lived. But they had seen the Messiah, and now they had the added duty of telling others what they had experienced.
How similar that is for us. As much as we would love to stay on the mountaintop at the feet of Jesus, this is not where we live. After great times of spiritual feeding and God’s blessings, we need to return to the valley where we live and carry on our lives as witnesses for our Lord.
“Glorifying and praising God.”
The response of the lowly shepherds to the wondrous things they had seen that night was to give glory to God. They understood that there was no other explanation for the evening’s events. They knew God was behind it all. Their praise was to Him! Their worship was focused on Him.
“For all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.”
What they had heard.
What they had seen.
What they had been told.
They were grateful. The witnesses became the messengers.
These men were only shepherds, but they were shepherds who have seen the Christ with their own eyes. The infant Messiah has made lasting impressions on them. They left His presence to tell others of what they had seen. God’s gift to mankind, the Savior is born!
Do you know Him?