“That
night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks
of sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance
of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, but the angel
reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “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!” Luke 2:8-11 NLT
There are several points I’d like to
make from this portion of scripture. I
believe the sight of an angel, any angel, would be terrifyingly beautiful. It would radiate with God’s glory and have a
voice that cut thru any other noise that was present. For the angel to utter the word Don’t be afraid must mean that he saw
fear in the eyes and the faces of the shepherds. I believe it’s a fair bet that they had never
seen a celestial being before. I think
it is safe to say the angel had their attention.
The next point is what the angel was there
to announce. The Savior of the people of
Israel had been born exactly where the Old Testament prophecies had said. (see
Micah 5:2) He is the Savior because he
saves us all from our sins or as I like to say, from ourselves. I say that because if we were left to our own
devices only God knows where we would end up.
As the Messiah, Jesus Christ was the
liberator of God’s people and by extension Gentiles who would receive as
well. He didn’t come as a warrior King,
but rather as an infant. He was under
God’s protection otherwise Herod would have succeeded with his plan to erase
all Jewish newborn male children. Jesus
came to save those who were lost. This
is the basic meaning of Christmas. Not
gifts, but forgiveness. Not parties, but
Hallelujahs. What does Christmas mean to
you? While there is nothing wrong with
celebrating the holiday with family and friends, never forget the friend who
sticks closer than a brother and died so that you might live. Until next time, walk with the King and be a
blessing!
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