Rejoice and Praise God

Advent 2011 Day 16

Luke 2:8-20
And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.
And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.
And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.
And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.
But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.
And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.

I love the way that the shepherds' fear turns into rejoicing. It must have been insane to be sitting out in the fields, and suddenly have angels there talking to them. And not just one angel, but a multitude of them.
But right after the angels told them what had happened, they didn't waste any time going in to Bethlehem to find the baby they had been told about.
And they didn't let their rejoicing stop with them. They went on their way and told everyone what they had been told about Jesus. I'd bet that they got laughed at, but they didn't care. Their joy was so huge that nothing could stop them from sharing.
And Mary pondered all of this in her heart. You might think that she would do that when the Wise men came. That would be the typical thing to do. You would definitely take notice if rich men came with expensive gifts to give your son. But she pondered in her heart the visit of simple shepherds. Perhaps because of their joy.
After seeing Jesus and going around telling people about him, they returned to the fields, but they did not just go back to their old lives. They continued to rejoice and praise God for everything they had seen.
Don't let yourself go back to how you used to be. Even if you're doing something as mundane as herding sheep, keep praising God, and keep that joy.