That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.” Luke 2:8-12 (NLT)
About that time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him.” Matthew 2:1b-2 (NLT)
In both of these passages about Jesus’ birth, something interesting is going on. God was calling.
The Shepherds, in a field nearby, were invited to go find the Messiah. The Wise Men, from a faraway place, were invited to go find the Messiah.
The two groups could not have been more diverse. One was uneducated while the others were very well educated. They studied all the time. One group lived day to day while the other group was very rich. One group was near to where the baby was born, while the other had to travel a long way to find him.
Both had to take what they had and use it as they sought Him.
God said to both “Come. Come and see the greatest gift ever. Come and see how much I love you.”
God is still calling us today to “Come.” It doesn’t matter if you are educated or uneducated. It doesn’t matter if you are rich or poor or somewhere in between. It doesn’t matter where you live or what you do for a living. The invitation is still the same “Come. Come and see the greatest gift ever given. Come and see how much I love you.”
Will you come? Will you draw close and marvel at Jesus?