Going in Haste
“When the angels went away from them to heaven,
the shepherds said to one another,
‘Let us go, then, to Bethlehem
to see this thing that has taken place,
which the Lord has made known to us.’
So they went in haste and found Mary and Joseph,
and the infant lying in the manger.”Luke 2:15-16
Merry Christmas! Christ is born! Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to people of goodwill! “It’s the most wonderful time of the year” the song sings, and it is indeed! But not because of the presents or days off from work and school (which are all good!) but because of why we have those presents and days off. What is wonderful is not just the fruits but more importantly, the reason. It is the most wonderful time of the year because God has come close to us, He has become man, and He has come to save us. The Angels appeared to the shepherds out on the plains of Bethlehem and shared with them the great gift that has been gifted to humanity, and what was their response? They got up and went to see!
Luke tells us the shepherds “went in haste” and when they arrived, they found the Holy Family. What made them go in haste? Was it the fear with which they were struck when the Angels appeared to them? Was it the fascination of what they were told they would find? Was it curiosity to see if what was said was true? Whatever “it” was, it made them go, and hurriedly. The shepherds exhibited an urgency. Just as Mary went “in haste” to Elizabeth when the Angel told her Elizabeth was with child, so too these shepherds. Perhaps for Mary the “it” was the fact that her cousin was with child and she wanted to rush over to help her and for the shepherds the “it” was the curiosity and fascination of the message proclaimed to them. The common thread here about the “it” is that “it” is good news. Mary went in haste when she was told of the good news that Elizabeth will bear a child and the shepherds when in haste when they were told the Good News that a Messiah and Savior was born for them. The natural response and reaction to Good News is the need to go and see and to share the Good News. Think about the last time you received some sort of good news? What was it? How did you feel? How did you respond?
Today the Good News that Christ is born and that God has become man so that we might die no more is proclaimed to us. What will our response be? Will we go in haste to tell others? Will we go in haste to thank the Lord? Will we go in haste to serve Him in others? May we, like Mary and the shepherds, go in haste today to thank God for the gift of His Son and to share this tremendous, life-changing news to all we meet. Let’s not keep this Good News to ourselves. Merry Christmas!
