Interruptions

The full video of this teaching is available at the bottom of this post and this link.

ANOTHER NIGHT AT WORK

"That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep" (Luke 2:8).

Many of us already know where this is going. The next word? The first word of verse 9: "Suddenly." And after that? An angel with a glow, good news delivered, and a host of angels showing up and singing.

But before we rush there—before we leap to the part we all know and love, the Angels' Song—let's pause. Let's hang out with the shepherds on what is just another night of work for them, scraping together enough to afford tomorrow's meal.

It was yet another night of eyeballing sheep. Quiet, mostly. Sure, the sheep were murmuring to each other and—let's be real—the kinds of sounds you'd expect from a group of shepherds working together without any women around. My point is that this was just another work night for these guys. A night like hundreds before it.

Nights in the fields weren’t about comfort. They were about staying alert. The sheep always needed watching—not just for predators lurking in the shadows but for the sheep themselves, always prone to wandering off toward a ledge or stumbling into a ravine.

Overhead, the stars filled the sky—immeasurable, vast. They made the flock below seem small, insignificant in the grand scheme of things. Shepherds knew this feeling. They lived at the edge of society: unseen, uncelebrated. Necessary? Sure. But honored? Never.

Shepherding was dirty, relentless work. It meant thousands of nights just like this one—cold, repetitive, and far from personally fulfilling.

This is where I would normally direct our focus to the “Suddenly” kicking off verse 9, and a glowing angel showing up in the field. But if I jump to that too quickly, you might miss the significance of this being just another shift at work for these shepherds.

And that’s my point. Just another long, cold, uneventful night at work, with no expectation that anything would change. Just the grind of the ordinary. The kind of night where success meant just getting the flock through till morning. Nothing about it felt significant.

Now that we’ve soaked in verse 8 long enough—let’s see what happens next.

9 Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, 10 but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. 11 The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! 12 And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.”

13 Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of
heaven—praising God and saying,

14 “Glory to God in highest heaven,
and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”

Glory to God in the highest: That’s how the angels start. Right away, they’re making it clear—this moment is all about God. His faithfulness. His love. His glory. The birth of Jesus isn’t just good news for us; it’s the ultimate display of who God is—revealing His glory in the most unexpected way.

And on earth, peace: It’s more than just the absence of conflict. It’s restoration. A mending of what’s been broken. This peace comes through Christ—the kind that reconciles humanity to God. It’s a holistic well-being, transforming not just our relationship with God, but our relationships with everyone around us.

Among Those with Whom He Is Pleased: That’s where the peace lands. Not because they’ve earned it—because you can’t earn grace—but because they’ve opened their hearts to receive it. They’re the ones who lean in, who say yes to the relationship He’s offering. A relationship He starts. A relationship He keeps going.

INTERRUPTIONS

There you have it. God interrupted the shepherds. Right there, in the middle of their third-shift shepherding job. In the cold. In the dark. In the routine. God announced to them that salvation had arrived—not just for kings, priests, or the religious elite, but for all who would receive it. Even for shepherds. For anyone willing to hear, to believe, to lean into the gift of grace. The message was clear: God’s salvation was here, and it was for everyone.

So, what did these guys do when God interrupted their ordinary week with the message of Christ’s birth, the promise of salvation?

They looked at each other and said, “Let’s go.” They left the field, the sheep, and the routine behind. They ran to Bethlehem, searching for the Savior the angel had told them about. And when they found Him lying in a manger, just like the angel had said, they couldn’t keep it to themselves. They told everyone they could.

People were amazed—stunned—by what these shepherds said. But here’s the thing: the shepherds weren’t just messengers. They were worshipers. They left that manger glorifying and praising God for everything they’d seen and heard. Their ordinary night ended in extraordinary joy. God had interrupted their shift, and they didn’t waste a second of it. They responded with action, with worship, with lives forever changed.

And then they went back. Back to the same fields. The same sheep. The same cold, dark nights. Nothing around them had changed. The sheep still needed watching. The predators still lurked. The grind of their work was still relentless. But they were different. They went back glorifying and praising God, carrying the weight of what they had seen and heard. God had broken through. Salvation had come. And they had been part of it. The fields were the same, but their hearts weren’t.

POINTING

Have you ever tossed a treat across the room for your dog, and instead of running to grab it, the dog just sat there, staring at you? The treat is right there, waiting. But the dog doesn’t move. So, you point to it. And what does the dog do? Stares at your pointing hand.

What if the shepherds had done the same thing? What if they experienced the hand of God pointing, and then when the angels left, they just sat there? What if they spent the rest of the night talking about how bright the sky looked. How loud the angels sounded. But never actually went to Bethlehem. Never ran to see what God was pointing them to. Never met Jesus. The angels’ visit wasn’t the destination. It was the pointer. And the shepherds? They didn’t just sit there. They responded. They went to Jesus.

So many people revisit Luke 2 every Christmas. But then? They walk away. Another year goes by, and nothing changes. It’s like staring at the hand of God pointing and missing where He’s pointing us.

This isn’t just about the shepherds. It’s about you. It’s about hearing the message, seeing the hand of God pointing, and responding. Because the truth is, God’s not done interrupting. And He’s not done pointing.

WHAT ABOUT YOU?

What about today? Just another day, right? Another shift. Another routine. You’re heading into a week where success feels like making it to the next paycheck or surviving this semester’s exams. It’s another year of calculating how many days you can bundle off work—especially with Christmas and New Year falling on Wednesdays this year.

What about you, Christian? Are you ready for a divine interruption? Are you prepared for God to enter your routine and interrupt your plans with His purpose? Because here’s the truth: God still interrupts. He still speaks. He still calls His people to go, to move, to act.

The shepherds didn’t cling to their routine with the Angel’s song. When God interrupted, they responded. They left the fields and ran to Jesus. Then, they became messengers, sharing the good news with everyone they could. They let the interruption change everything.

But here’s the other thing—this isn’t just about you. Like the shepherds, your response to God’s interruption is meant to point others to Him. Who in your life needs to hear about Jesus? Who needs to know that salvation has come? Maybe it’s that coworker who keeps asking questions. Maybe it’s that family member who’s struggling. Perhaps it’s someone you haven’t met yet, but God is preparing you to cross their path. Will you be ready?

And if you haven’t accepted Jesus yet, what are you waiting for? Just like the shepherds, you can drop everything and run to Him. Maybe that step is asking questions about who Jesus is. Perhaps it’s digging into the Bible for the first time. Maybe it’s simply whispering, “God, if You’re real, show me.” Whatever it looks like, take it. Say yes. Because when God interrupts, it’s never just for us—it’s for His glory, for you to know Him, and for you to experience the life only He can give.

Be ready. Be willing. And when God interrupts, don’t hesitate. Respond, just like the shepherds did. And watch what happens when you run toward the Savior.

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