Finding Unexpected Joy

You know that moment at a Christmas party when you sit down at the dinner table and realize you’re wedged between two of the most boring choices in the room? Maybe it’s the uncle who talks way too much about anything, or the friend-of-a-friend who seems allergic to eye contact. You brace yourself for a long, polite evening.

But then something shifts within you. As you listen to the uncle developing an epic tale, something makes you wonder if he is lonely. Maybe that’s why he talks so much at these things. So you listen closer as the story unfolds, and then a joke lands. Your neighbor on the other side chuckles and says, “That was funny!” You look into her eyes and say, “It was,” loud enough for the uncle to hear as the two of you break into laughter. He pauses and tosses in a small comment, to which your neighbor adds a moment of surprising insight: “Well, we all need a good turnup now and again.” And suddenly, the three of you are laughing, leaning in, and enjoying each other. These two “boring” companions turn out to be funny, insightful, occasionally brilliant. The entire meal turns around. It becomes one of the best nights of your life.

That’s our shepherds in Luke 2.

They were the ones nobody expected to be part of a story — anybody’s story. They weren’t priests or scholars. They weren’t influencers or insiders. They were working the night shift, guarding sheep, probably cold, probably tired. And yet — they were the ones

who received the news of Messiah first.

Not just a whisper. Not just a hint. But a full angelic announcement displaying the glory of God, followed by a sky full of praise. And then they got to tell Mary, Joseph, anyone helping her, and then door to door to the townspeople. They were suddenly the heralds of a new day.

One of the greatest elements of God’s nature is that we don’t control Him. He is the One who sees the whole picture, treasures the worth of each person — all of creation — and is bringing to fruition what we truly need. He knows our wants and desires intimately, and He sent Jesus to teach us how we can be part of bringing satisfaction to those around us.

Imagine the shepherds the next morning, or the morning after that, or thirty years later when a Greek-speaking man showed up and asked if they knew anything about angels. Suppose after a couple of decades of people getting tired of hearing your story about “that night,” someone actually wanted to hear it all. Not only did they listen — they took notes.

We may think we know. We may think we understand. But God reveals Joy unexpectedly, when it means the most and will make the greatest difference. For those who follow Jesus, this teaches us to listen closer.