The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told. – Luke 2:20
And the shepherds returned...to their sheep, to their normal, daily life, to their duties, their responsibilities. Although they just had a life-changing, world-changing experience, they had to return to their normal lives. Maybe they now yearned for something bigger, some sort of job that would have them doing "more" for God, doing something of more "importance."
But this was not God's plan for His first missionaries. He didn't send them to far away countries to spread this good news. He sent them right back to their jobs, to their same duties they had before, yet now their hearts were changed. Now their outlook was changed. Now they were filled with hope and joy unspeakable. Now they would not look at life around them with the same eyes again.
And as they returned to the fields, to their sheep, to their duties. they glorified and praised God. The fields now became, for them, holy ground. The words they shared with each other were now filled with wonder and praise. The stories they told their children each night, shared with their neighbors at the local well, brimmed with praise for God and what He had done.
These first missionaries learned the truth that you don't need to go to a foreign country, to new surroundings, to a new job, to share Jesus Christ. You can, if God calls you, but He didn't call them to leave their flocks and fields. He called them back to the same place, the same circumstances, but with a changed outlook. He called them to share Jesus and His truth with the same people they saw the day before.
We should do the same. Missionary work, the spreading of the Gospel, is not just for those who have that title next to their name. Not just for those who leave home to go to a foreign land. Not just for those who pastor a church or work for a Christian organization.
Missionary work is for all of us. When God has changed our hearts, has shown us the truth of His Son, has shown us our Savior, we should return to our families, our jobs, our friends, our neighborhoods, glorifying and praising Him. Sharing His love, sharing His truth, sharing Jesus, with everyone we know. This is missionary work...whether in a distant land or right at home.
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