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.’ 

So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.  

The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told. 

LUKE 2:15-20

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This article continues a four-part series that goes along with our new Advent devotional journey Down to Earth. The journey and accompanying Sunday videos and sermon plan swill help you reflect on our down-to-earth Saviour – the Jesus who stepped into the mess and detail of life on earth and calls us to do the same. 

Often, when I think about Christmas and allow my thinking to go beyond the turkeys, Christmas trees, family gatherings, presents, and the impossible to-do list to make it all happen – when I focus specifically on Jesus coming down to earth – I still end up picturing the birth of Jesus as school or church Nativity scenes. And that’s good and bad! 

Nativity plays all tend to have something in common. As well as the beautiful unpredictability of children, they can be quite static. 

All the characters arrive: Mary, Joseph, the baby of course, shepherds, Magi, angels, and often a number of creatively added extras. Everyone focuses their attention on the newborn king, who came down to earth. But most often, each character simply positions themselves somewhere in the scene and stays there – sitting or standing and looking towards Jesus. In other words, each child, having arrived on stage, has completed their task and we hope they’ll stay standing or sitting as motionless as possible. I remember thinking my son had totally mastered sitting still as a shepherd, before realising he’d fallen asleep… 

But of course, none of the biblical people actually stayed around the manger. They all moved on – and in their everyday lives they were then changed by their encounter with Jesus.  

It’s easy to miss how few words are devoted to the shepherds’ actual encounter with Jesus. Luke’s emphasis is more focused on their action either side. In fact, the words we do have (‘when they had seen him’) are used to convey the shepherds moving on. 

Luke focuses much more on the absolute resolve to investigate the angels’ news. It’s hard for English translations to do justice to the shepherds’ urgency – they make investigation a priority. And having done so, they return to their everyday lives as changed people. They pass on the angels’ news and others are amazed. 

There’s a similar truth for Mary. The description of Mary treasuring and pondering the events in her heart implies a process going far beyond the birth narrative. We ‘treasure’ things for later. So, we shouldn’t confuse Mary’s contemplation with being temporary or static. Our Down to Earth video from this week illustrates this with a sculpture from Salisbury Cathedral. 

As significant as the Nativity is, no one remains there, and nor should we. 

Every person in the Nativity moves on, living their everyday down-to-earth lives and changed by their encounter. May the same be true of us. 

Ken Benjamin 
Director of Church Relationships, LICC 

As you go out into your life this week, who can you tell about the difference God’s made to you?