And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.” – Luke 2:20 ESV
In C.H. Spurgeon’s Lectures to My Students, he comments:
It is remarkable that the only church history we have is, “The Acts of the Apostles.” The Holy Spirit has not preserved their sermons.
Throughout both the Old Testament and the New Testament, the majority of the content is telling about the lives of people. And it isn’t about their lives inside a building performing rituals, it is about their day to day lives and how God impacted the world around them in their day through their faithfulnesa (or through their disobedience). What is recorded isn’t as much about their religion — their “playing church” or “offering sacrifices” or “singing praises” — but is about their lives, about God’s abiding presence and its affect on them and thode around them.
The Shepherds weren’t great orators. They didn’t put together perfectly planned out entertainment packages and expositional doctrinal teachings in front of those who would gather around them. No, they had seen Jesus — so they went along their lives and daily responsibilities, changed deeply by this experience, and sharing and rejoicing with all they met.
Lord, help us to live eloquent lives of praising and glorifying you, not just practiced, familiar words spoken, but a life lived as our reasonable service. Acts of Christians, not just sermons of preachers. Amen.
Harold J. Ballinger 