So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, “Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.”  And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger.   Luke 2:15-16 HCSB

We’ve all heard the story about the shepherds tending their flock by night when the angel appeared to them and told the the wonderful news of Jesus’ birth.

These shepherds were working. Their job was tending to these sheep. According to John MacArthur’s commentary, many of the sheep used in the temple sacrifices came from Bethlehem. The hills surrounding Bethlehem were prime grazing land. The shepherds worked in this area day and night, all year round.

But one thing that is clearly told to us in our scripture passage today is that as soon as the angels departed, the shepherds all decided to go and see this thing that the Lord had made known to them. They all wanted to go immediately to see this Savior, this tiny babe come to save us all. It doesn’t say that they decided who would stay and who would go, it says that they said to one another, “Let’s go…” It doesn’t say that they waited until it was daylight or until their relief shift came on, it just says that they went. As a matter of fact, it says that they “came with haste.” They didn’t waste any time getting to baby Jesus. They just dropped what they were doing and they left.

I grew up on a dairy farm. These large animals had to be milked twice a day. They were the source of my dad’s income. He did not get weekends and holidays off. He did not get to take sick days. The cows had to be milked twice a day, seven days a week. They had to have feed, they had to have hay in the winter or rye grass for grazing. Some had to have medications. My dad knew each cow by name and he knew which ones were about to have calves, which ones had had calves, which ones were on medication and the type of medication and amount to be administered. He usually had a heard of about 75 cows and he knew if just one of them didn’t come up to the barn with the others. If a cow got sick, he usually cared for it himself. He did have a man who lived nearby that he trusted to care for his herd when we went on vacation, which we did every year for about five days in August before school started back. But he just didn’t have the luxury of dropping everything and taking off when he felt like it. He owned his own business and you could say he was his own boss, but often times it seemed as though the cows were the boss.

Many of you are in jobs like that today. You are required to work long hours, perhaps your job is really stressful, you may not get a lot of time off. You may have to work on Sundays and even go in when you are sick because the job has to be done. I imagine it was a lot like this for these shepherds. You see, sheep aren’t very smart. Left on their own they can wander off or get themselves into all kinds of trouble. The shepherds were there to see that the sheep were safe. But while they were doing their jobs, minding their own business, they got a visit from an angel. Then a whole host of angels came down and began praising God. There was no doubt in their mind that they had to get to Jesus right away.

There was a time in my life 10 years ago, when I realized I had to drop everything. I had to let go of the sin that was holding me down. I had to escape the bondage of my sin. I had to get to Jesus with great haste. So, I did. I let go of it all and gave it all over to Him. I trusted Him to guard me like a shepherd and keep me from straying and keep me out of trouble. And, he did. Oh, I still tend to stray at times, but He quickly grabs his staff and brings me back into the fold. I am happy to be here. I am in a place of peace, joy and contentment with Him.

Are you willing to drop everything and run to Him? Are you willing to sacrifice just 1/10 of your money and a bit of your time to follow Him? I hope so. He’s waiting with open arms. Won’t you let go of it all and turn to Him today? We are like sheep, we don’t do so well when we are left unattended. He wants to take good care of us (Jeremiah 29:11). He will do just that if you run to Him today.  Drop everything and get to Jesus with haste. You won’t regret it.

Have a great day!