What A Wake Up Call

Well, today we look back to Luke 2 again. I didn't know how much I would enjoy this study, but it really has opened my eyes to a lot. I actually used part of it yesterday when I taught Sunday school, and I think I'm going to through this month. Right now I only have one girl in my class (small church with few kids her age unfortunately, but we're praying about that.)
Anyway, it actually helped that it was just her yesterday because it really helped to drive the lesson home. She was almost in tears thinking about what Mary went through and the fact that Jesus was born in such a way. Pray that her heart stays tender like that.
And now, on to the lesson for today. We have reached Luke 2:8-9.

8And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
9And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

Now I don't know about you, but I have some days on the job that are pretty hum-drum. Days where I sit and look at the computer screen and it blurs into more and more of the same. Days where I can barely hold my eyes open. I'm sure this is just a me thing. All of you stay peppy and awake at work I'm sure.
But me, I have days of boredom and fighting sleep. And I kinda wonder if the shepherds had nights like that. I mean, it probably got to a point where one sheep just looked like the next. By 2 in the morning those sheep probably became a blur of wool. It would have been that way for me, just let me tell ya!
But imagine what you would have felt had you been them. I mean, you're sitting there doing the same thing you do every day. You bring the sheep to a good sleeping place, you light a fire, you start telling the same old stories to your shepherd buddies. Then all of the sudden, this blinding light shines from the sky. And you just know that something awesome is before you, and your knees began to shake.
Now, I'm not going to go into the awesome message the angel had for the shepherds today. I'm just gonna focus on this reaction today. They were probably all cowering in fear, huddled together. This was something they'd never expected.
I'm pretty sure that an angel won't appear in my cube today, but if it happened, I would probably be the same way. Because I'm not looking for that something awesome. I'm not expecting the extraordinary.
But God is doing awesome, extraordinary things everyday. He may not be sending angels to shepherds on the hillside, but He is getting His message out there. It can be seen in the hurting face of the homeless man on the corner. It can be seen in the hungry eyes of a child in need. It can be seen in the tears of someone sitting in the hospital room of a dying loved one.
We have a world that needs saving, and the awesome prospect can either cause us to cower in fear, or it can drive us to a cause. Personally, this Christmas season, I want to be driven to do whatever Christ asks. I don't want to ignore the awesome things that God has in store for me. I don't want to miss His message because I was too afraid to hear it. What about you?