“Go tell it on the mountain. Over the hills and everywhere. Go tell it on the mountain. That Jesus Christ is born!”
For some reason that song has been stuck in my head the last few days. I think (as usual) the Lord has a purpose in that. It has caused me to ask the question, in the rush and chaos of Christmas, do we really focus on the “telling”?
Luke 2 teaches us about the shepherds who were just going about their business living their lives one day to the next. For them it was tending sheep. For us (at least for this month), it’s decorating, checking off lists, shopping till we drop, getting stuck in traffic, sending out cards, wrapping, buying, and stressing about giving the perfect gifts.
But in the midst of going about their normal routine, the shepherds heard about a baby that would (and did) literally change everything. They dropped what they were doing, what they were so focused on, and ran towards the Savior. And scripture says they spread the word about this child, and all who heard it were amazed.
Our Lord and Savior comes to us in our every day lives just like He did the shepherds to reveal Himself. Can we hear Him through all the hustle and bustle? Can we drop what we’re doing for a moment and spend time with the Savior through prayer and bible study? Does it change our focus and priorities? And does it affect our desire to tell others about what it is we are celebrating in this beautiful month of Christmas?
We are happy to greet others with “Merry Christmas”, but do we share what really makes this season so very special, so merry? Jesus is the most perfect gift of all and He asks each of us to share about “who He is” with those He places in our paths.
I recently heard an excellent preacher talk about sharing and telling during this month and how it can be simple. When someone asks you what you’re doing for Christmas, rather than responding with where you’re going and who’ll you’ll be with, or what you’re giving or hoping to get, simply respond with “I’m so excited to come together with my family and celebrate the birth of my Savior. For me, that is what makes Christmas so very special”.
This simple, easy to remember, and non-offensive response might be the start of a conversation. It might lead to a few questions. And this is where we can get nervous (myself included!). We don’t have the Bible memorized, we don’t know all the right answers and words to say. But what others want to know is the difference that knowing Jesus as our personal Lord and Savior has meant to us, how it has transformed our lives and given us a sense of purpose, and even through the challenges and difficulties of life, He’s able to provide us with peace. People can relate to us when we acknowledge that we don’t have all the answers, that we can’t possibly understand everything, but that we have faith and complete trust in our Savior.
His great love that we are able to experience everyday can be easily shared. We can go and tell on a mountain or perhaps at a Christmas party, in the office, while standing in the checkout line, or on the phone while stuck in traffic. Or perhaps we might even be intentional. We could pray that the Lord puts someone on our heart this Christmas to share with. He’ll provide the opportunity and supply us with the words to say.
My prayer is that “Go tell it on the Mountain” might get stuck in your head the way it has mine, that it would be a reminder that this is the perfect time to share, that it can be simple, and that sharing the love of Jesus will always be the most perfect gift.
May you and your family have a Merry Christmas!
