By: Pastor Jarren Rogers

Humanity tends to stumble upon greatness.

Like cleaning out an attic and accidentally discovering a lost family heirloom, greatness spills onto the floor of the world unnoticed while we are distracted, rifling through the clutter. 

Such is the way of greatness and of great hope. Easily accessible but easily missed. Easily encountered but rarely expected.

This is how Advent begins: with a band of shepherds, caring for their flocks at night. While they prod their sheep along, over hills and beside creeks, they didn’t know it, but they were about to stumble upon greatness. 

“An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger’” (Luke 2:9-12).

A savior? Here? In this day? 

And suddenly, with the appearance of the angel and the description of a savior, great hope tumbled out and lay at the shepherds feet. 

When met with great hope, it’s impossible not to respond. You can’t ignore it. You have to make a choice: to turn your back or to go. 

“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 has happened, which the Lord has told us about’” (v. 15).

And we go with them. This Advent season, we once again stumble upon greatness, the same great hope that laid before the shepherds, now bares itself to us. We, too, hear the angel’s words and feel the fear in our hearts give way to anticipation.

And we are met with the same choice: to turn back or to go?

Will you begin the journey to the Savior, whatever that may mean? Whatever it costs? Wherever it goes?

For the next 25 days we do not step lightly, rather we step confidently towards the great hope that is thousands of years old, and at the same time is very new. 

Will you travel with the shepherds? Through the desert and over the mountains to find the savior. To stumble upon greatness. To discover hope. 

It begins today.