When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. Luke 2:17,18
When I worked in Washington, DC, my office sat right in the middle of lobbyists, law firms, and—thankfully—great restaurants. At lunch, the options were endless. One place, though, never made sense. It was a tiny hole-in-the-wall with no seating, looked wildly out of place, and yet every day there were 15–20 people standing in line out the door. And they didn’t look annoyed. They looked satisfied.
Curiosity finally won. I joined the line and asked the guy in front of me what he recommended. Without hesitation he said, “Get the special. Doesn’t matter what day it is.” That sounded suspiciously like someone on the payroll, but when I reached the counter, I ordered the special anyway.
It was incredible. An Afghan dish with layers of fried eggplant, rich tomato sauce, garlic, onions, yogurt, herbs, flatbread, and rice. I don’t even like eggplant—but suddenly I was converted. By the next week, I was that guy in line telling everyone else, “You’ve got to try the special.”
That’s evangelism.
Not a speech. Not pressure. Not expertise. Just: I experienced something good—and you should try it.
Luke 2:17–18 says of the shepherds, “When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed.” They didn’t hand out pamphlets. They didn’t argue theology. They simply told people about what they had experienced.
We’ve spent time talking about evangelism in many forms—walking in the Spirit, personal witness, thanksgiving evangelism, and now Christmas evangelism. At its core, the message is simple: God uses ordinary people to share extraordinary news. The shepherds prove that.
These men were at the bottom of society. Considered unclean. Often excluded. And yet God chose them first. Why? Because they were ready.
If you look closely at their story, you see a simple pattern—one that still works today.
First: Pay Attention. The shepherds were awake, watching, alert. Because they were paying attention, they didn’t miss what God was doing. Many evangelism opportunities are missed not because we don’t care, but because we’re distracted.
I once missed one of those moments. A young woman came into my office and asked about death. I gave her a lecture instead of compassion. Only later did I learn her brother had just been killed. She didn’t need information—she needed comfort. Paying attention means listening for what’s really being asked, not just what’s being said.
Second: Stay Curious. After the angels spoke, the shepherds didn’t shrug and go back to work. They said, “Let’s go see.” Curiosity pushed them toward Jesus.
Curiosity keeps faith alive. It protects us from becoming religious know-it-alls. Notice the contrast: the religious leaders knew about the Messiah, but they didn’t go looking. The shepherds didn’t know much—but they went anyway.
Fear initially struck them, but fear didn’t stop them. With God, fear can move us forward instead of freezing us in place.
Third: Act on Your Conviction. Once the shepherds saw Jesus for themselves, everything changed. Conviction followed encounter. And conviction leads to action.
They didn’t keep quiet. They told everyone. Not because they were trained, but because they were convinced. Real evangelism doesn’t start with having all the answers. It starts with having a real experience.
Here’s the key point: the message isn’t rules. It isn’t arguments. It isn’t a checklist.
The message is the Special. A relationship with Jesus. Forgiveness. Hope. Joy. A Savior who came close.
At Christmas especially, people are hungry—sometimes without knowing it. They don’t need a lecture. They need an invitation.
So don’t overthink it. Don’t wait until you feel qualified. Just tell them what you’ve experienced.
“Try the special,” the shepherds said in their own way. And people were amazed.
That’s still how it works.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Robert Cooke is a member of the Danville church and serves as an elder. He is retired from the United States Department of Agriculture. He has an incredible ability to turn sermons into stories. This blog post is from his sermon of December 20, 2025
