The Street City Church

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ”Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that had happened which the Lord has told us about.”
Luke 2:15

Have you ever wondered what happened to those shepherds after their encounter with Jesus? The Bible tells us that they, “spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child.” But what change would that Divine encounter have produced in their lives? Were they any different? Did they ever lean on their staffs examining the starlit night, and ponder that one-off experience in Bethlehem? I believe they didn’t easily foget this experience.

You see when we are introduced to Jesus Christ, the true and living God, it is difficult to hide His imprint on our lives. Admittedly, the change is sometimes slow and difficult to define, but still the imprint of Christ remains.

Perhaps you’ve wondered about the imprint that may remain on people’s lives after the Greg Laurie event. Did my friend/family member - or even I - really experience God? Will they continue to grow? Will their lives be different?

These are important questions, and as a church we’re continuing to follow up on people who made a commitment to Christ that weekend. But to define that weekend’s impact can seem like trying to determine the impact that the baby Jesus had on those shepherds’ lives.

Perhaps we’ll never know, this side of eternity, what impact Jesus is having through us. Even so, may we all be bold enough to extend the loving arms of Jesus to a world that desperately needs good news. Perhaps someone we know will then have the lasting imprint of Christ stamped on their lives this Christmas.

Blessings,
James Rees-Thomas