By Todd Paetznick, December 3, 2024

Word of the newborn messiah’s arrival traveled from one person to another, starting in ancient Bethlehem, moving to Jerusalem, and eventually the entire world. There was no Internet or broadcast media to carry the news; it traveled through individuals. People talked about what they had experienced and seen. They spoke to their family, friends, co-workers, people in the marketplace, and people they met. The network was person-to-person.   

The shepherds were the first to hear from messengers sent by God.  The angels told them peace was being offered to the world’s people through this newborn baby, the Son of God, they would find lying in a feeding trough in the village of Bethlehem (Luke 2:8-20).  The peace the angels were talking about was not a cessation of wars or fighting between people but an offering of peace between God and people.  A way for peace between God and people that no individual or people group could achieve on their own through any effort, regardless of how pious or selfless their actions might be.  The basis for peace had to come from God alone.  

Good news traveled fast.  The shepherds immediately went to Bethlehem to confirm that the message they heard from the angels was valid.  They found Mary, Joseph, and the newborn baby, just as the angels had told them they would.  

The Business of Networking

The hierarchy of influential people around Jerusalem and Bethlehem did not include the shepherds.  And yet we read about their experience even today and repeat it every year around Christmastime.  The word of Jesus’ birth spread mainly because the network of people the shepherds knew fanned out to include many more people.  Consider that by the year 2024, billions of people have heard their story and the repeated message delivered by angels about there being an offering of peace between God and people.  

People listen to our experience with restaurants, products we may purchase, places we may visit, and shows we may see.  Our personal reviews are a natural part of our conversations with friends,  relatives, and even casual acquaintances.  We do not hesitate to share our experiences with things that matter very little in the eternal scheme.  And many of us do not make any major purchases without first researching reviews and speaking with others about their experiences.  

We should not expect outsiders to consider faith in Jesus Christ any differently.  Our experience with God needs to be spoken of almost like a review of a purchased product.  And yet, many of the spiritual-sounding things we should say seem artificial and phony to outsiders of the faith; artificial because many times they are.  What we say may sound good and impressive, but our actual experience can make a difference.

What are some God-things we talk with others about?

• The beauty and wonder of creation and giving God the credit and glory He deserves.  
• The mystery of life and consciousness.  Science has not been able to fully explain where everything came from, how life happened, or how people became self-aware.
• Apply biblical principles in practical everyday life to avoid the types of setbacks other people may experience. 
• Attitudinal changes, recognizing that God is sovereign and ultimately controls the outcomes of our plans.  We are not as powerful or as good as we think we are.
• Miraculously changed lives.  Be careful with this;  people tend to be skeptical of things they cannot see, touch, or measure and will likely sit in long-term judgment, waiting for any failure.  Instead, speak of your personal experience, which no one can question, and the difference that your change of attitude has made in your life and the lives of the people around you.  
• Miracles happen.  But remember that a humble attitude often goes further than bragging.  In chapter nine of the book of John, a man born blind was healed by Jesus.  The religious leaders were skeptical and sought answers from the healed man and his parents about who did this and how it was accomplished.  They did not like the answers they were given and were abusive to the man and his parents.  Neither the man nor his parents spoke out about the miraculous healing, but religious leaders persecuted them for speaking the truth about the situation.  This kind of treatment should be expected from a skeptical world.  

Angels told shepherds about God’s peace coming into the world in the form of a baby.  Their good news spread by word of mouth along the trade routes of Rome.  We all have our networks and connections.  We may never know how far a message we share may travel and how many people it may touch.