Mary had a baby in a barn. The shepherds went back to their sheep. And somehow, they were all rejoicing.
If you’re looking ahead to the new year wondering if things will finally get better, the Christmas story has something unexpected to tell you. It’s not what you think.
Picture the shepherds that night. They’re the excluded bunch—low class, not respected, can’t even enter the temple. They’re having the same conversations we have: corrupt government, crazy politics, family drama, people who don’t respect them.
Then an angel shows up. The glory of God surrounds them. They’re terrified. And the angel says, “Don’t be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.”
They rush to Bethlehem. They see the baby. They meet Mary and Joseph. It’s all true—the Messiah is here.
And then? They return. Return to where? To their sheep. To their life.
You think after this encounter the Pharisees suddenly respected them? You think the politicians changed? You think their circumstances improved?
No. But something changed completely.
The Joy That Defies Logic
Here’s what the Scripture says: “The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen.”
They went back to the same sheep, under the same sky, in the same social system that excluded them. But they weren’t the same people.
That word “joy”—it comes from charis, which you might recognize. That’s the word for grace. Unmerited favor. Something that goes beyond the physical and hits you at the spiritual level. The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace—not the fruit of perfect circumstances.
They had something now that was beyond their circumstances. It’s a perspective. An indwelling, bubbling-up perspective that comes when you take your eyes off the taxes, the corrupt government, how people see you, how you see yourself—and put them on Him.
What Changed Everything
No longer did these shepherds think, “Yeah, I’m not important. I’ll just stand over here.” And they didn’t swing to the other extreme either: “I’m going to prove I’m important!”
None of that.
It wasn’t about any of that anymore. It was about Him. And guess what? “I can see myself differently because He saw me. He knew me. He knew where I was. He invited me. No matter what you think of me or what I thought of me, He sees something completely different.”
There’s a bigger story going on, and He knows exactly who you are. He wants you to be a part of it.
Looking Ahead to Your New Year
So what does this mean as you’re looking ahead to next year? Maybe you’re hoping circumstances finally change. Maybe you’re exhausted from this year. Maybe you’re worried next year will be more of the same—or worse.
Listen: The joy these shepherds found wasn’t about their circumstances improving. It was about seeing themselves and their lives in light of something bigger, something eternal, something true.
When they went home, they didn’t lead with politics or complaints. Those guys who nobody wanted to hear from? They couldn’t stop talking—not about themselves, but about the One they’d seen. They were the first gospel preachers. Shepherds and fishermen—that’s who God chose.
Your Opportunity This Year
There is a 13-year-old young man who comes to our staff prayer meetings every Sunday morning at 7:00 am. He never misses it, and he’s been praying for his family for months. This week he said, “Jim, I got to give my testimony to my whole family.” I asked how it went. He said, “I don’t know. I just told them the truth about what Jesus has done for me.”
If a 13-year-old kid can do it, so can we.
This coming year is your opportunity. Not to wait until circumstances are perfect. Not to hope everything finally goes your way. But to discover what the shepherds discovered: that God sees you by name, that you’re part of His bigger story, and that there’s a joy—a Holy Spirit joy—that survives whatever next year throws at you.
The shepherds went back to their sheep rejoicing. Not because their sheep got better. Because they finally understood who they were and Whose they were.
That same God who knew those shepherds by name? He knows you. He’s made sure you’ve heard this message because He wants to change your identity. He wants you to see what He sees.
God doesn’t necessarily change our circumstances to give us joy, He changes our perspective by revealing that there’s a bigger story happening, and we’re invited to be part of it. The peace, hope, and joy we celebrate aren’t dependent on perfect conditions or social status, they flow from knowing that God sees us, knows us by name, and has included us in His redemptive plan.
We don’t know what next year holds, just like Mary and Joseph didn’t know—but if we know God, we know there’s something bigger going on. And when you soak in that truth, when you rest in Him, something changes. Not your circumstances necessarily. But you.
And when YOU change – that changes everything.
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