Sign or Story?

As someone who has been active in rural ministry and mission all my life I am well aware that many rural Christians – including clergy – find engaging in evangelism within their village challenging.  Time and again I hear people saying things like, “Our lives are a witness” or “People know what we stand for”.  I have even heard a conference speaker state that the silent witness of church buildings is sufficient evangelism.  While our lives and possibly the buildings where we meet might well be an important sign of our faith, sign without story is never enough.

In Luke 2: 8-20 we read the story of the shepherds hearing about the birth of Jesus.  It begins with the shepherds getting on with what shepherds do at night in the fields.  They then see the angel of the Lord who tells them a story about a saviour and gives them information about a sign that will support the story he has told them.  Then comes the choir of angels with words about blessing that comes through God showing grace or favour.

They immediately determine to check it out for themselves, and find it exactly as they had been told. (You can forget about them taking sheep with them or offering lambs; sheep would have slowed them down and they were in a hurry.)

Three things then follow:

Firstly, they went and told others the story as they had been told it, causing many people to be amazed.

Secondly, what they told Mary got her thinking too.  I guess it confirmed all she had been told previously.

Thirdly, they went on their way (apparently back to the sheep) thrilled and praising God for what “they had been told”.

When Francis of Assisi said "preach the gospel always, use words if necessary" it was an exhortation to ensure that our lives provide adequate proof of the good news about Jesus.  But there are many people of faith – or even of no faith – whose lives are every bit as good as any Christian.  So sign will never be enough unless people also hear the story from our lips.

Please ponder the story of the Shepherds this Christmas and see how it relates to our lives today.  They heard a story and believed – saw the sign – and passed on the story with such enthusiasm that they too became a sign.  We have good news to share – God’s story that he wants your friends and family to hear.  Please share the story; live the sign.