Pray for The Impressed
On the day after Christmas, I’m thinking about the Impressed.
The shepherds have completed their mission. They’ve been to Bethlehem and found the place where the child lay. On the way back to the flock, Luke says, they told people about what they’d seen and heard (Luke 2:17). The New International Version says all who heard it were amazed. Another version says they were impressed. I wonder if anybody asked them where the baby and his parents were. I wonder if anybody took the shepherds at their word and went to see for themselves. If they did, Luke doesn’t say.
I tend to think that some of these people were amazed and impressed like I’m amazed and impressed by the stories I see in newspapers:
$50,000 of Margarine Still Missing but Stolen Truck Found.
Man Accused of Driving Over Tombstones with Truck.
‘Bored’ Man Guilty of Burying Fiancée Alive.
Teacher Investigated After Allegedly Writing “Stupid” on Student’s Face.
Is there really much difference between those headlines and the story the sheepherders were telling:
Son of God Born in Barn, Shepherds Say: Heralds Return of Stable Families.
Really, if somebody told you such a thing, what would you do? You’d laugh. You’d shake your head. You’d go on with your day. The truth is we hear stories like this all the time, stuff that defies belief. We might be impressed, but we’re not going to do anything about it. It’s not going to change our lives.
Some come to church and they’re impressed. The people were friendly, the music was lively, the sermon was good. They were touched, moved. But they’re not going to come to Christ any more than they’re going to go to Bethlehem. They’re not going to become Christ-seekers or Christ-followers. They’re going to move on, unchanged.
I’ve been in their homes. I’ve poured my heart out to them. They’re impressed that I came; they appreciate my concern. That’s as far as it goes. And I don’t know what to else to do but pray for them.
Please join me in praying for the Impressed.
