Written ~ 12-26-2023
Luke 2:8-15
8 That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. 9 Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, 10 but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. 11 The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! 12 And you will recognize Him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.”
13 Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying,
14 “Glory to God in highest heaven,
and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”
15 When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”
Wow! Wow! Wow! What a scene that must’ve been!
Imagine sitting at your desk at work, or in your car taking a business call, or standing in front of your coworkers conducting the morning meeting and suddenly an angel of the Lord interrupted what you were doing! I’d say you would be more than a little stunned, stopping mid-sentence and gazing into the brilliance of an angel would probably stop your work, drop your call and your morning meeting would end abruptly. Being greatly afraid would be the first reaction for many of us.
Here we have a bunch of shepherds, they are out in a field just doing their job, then all of a sudden a radiant light filled the night sky. In the middle of that light is an angel of the Lord and understandably, they were terrified!
Have you noticed? That wherever the Scriptures talk about the appearance of an angel the very first thing the angel says is, “Do not be afraid.” That tells me that their presence would be shocking, their appearance would be abrupt and in most cases they are described with a radiance that is absolutely overwhelming.
This angel was proclaiming the birth of our Lord and Savior, this birth announcement deserved nothing less than a vast army of angels praising God and broadcasting the news of the Messiah being born in Bethlehem. This was the news that the people had been waiting for! Years had passed, four hundred years actually, where they had not heard from the Almighty God. But, here, this night, the shepherds heard from the Lord. In the most wonderful way imaginable and that angel brought the news they longed to hear,
“I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!”
Their hearts must have been overwhelmed with joy, how can a human brain comprehend such grand news as this! And then an army of angels join in singing and praising the Lord!
“Glory to God in highest heaven,
and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”
Their voices must have been thundering, think of a song being sung with the most chill creating harmony and power behind each word. “Glory to God!” “Peace on earth!” This choir of angels would have brought down the house!
Imagine then, as abruptly as that army of angels appeared, they disappeared and went back up to Heaven. Everything was still, everything was silent, all you could hear were the shepherds hearts beating out of their chests. Think about them, they were probably all paralyzed by what they just witnessed. But as they looked at each other and marveled about what happened, they made the decision to head to Bethlehem to see the newborn King.
“Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”
When you and I bow our hearts to honor the King of Glory, let’s think about the shepherds. They were given the most life changing news anyone could experience, in the most astonishing way. When we meet the Lord, it will probably be different for all of us. Some may come to Him with curiosity, some with questions and others with heartfelt repentance. It doesn’t matter how we come to the Lord, what matters is that we come. Just like those shepherds, they made the decision right then and there after hearing about the Good News of Jesus Christ to go to Him.
If you are curious, or have questions, or know you need to turn from your sins and repent, go to Jesus. He is waiting.
During the Christmas season we tend to reflect on the beauty of the lights, decorations, gifts and the coziness of sitting by a fire. But… What if we reflect on the only true Light, the One who gives the gift of Eternal Life and fills us with the fire of the Holy Spirit?
The angel of the Lord is announcing the Savior’s birth… let’s look to the Heavens and give our glory, honor and praise to the Messiah – the King – the Son of God!
~AMEN~