And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. And the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which shall be for all the people. Luke 2:9, 10 (New American Standard Bible)
I was recently thinking about how those shepherds must have felt on the announcement of Christ’s birth. I wondered how I would react to something like the glory of the Lord appearing to me on a dark and quiet night with an angel suddenly telling me something momentous the Lord was about to do.
Thankfully I’ve not experienced a supernatural situation like that. If I didn’t run into a wall trying to exit the room, I might likely faint. The shepherds on this night were pretty scared. As I read this passage, I am struck by how the Good News is given to all people yet still makes many uncomfortable or even afraid.
If God sent His Son to ransack the earth, then I’d have a reason for panic. But the word is He sent Him to reconcile me to Himself through His Chosen Redeemer and that fills me with a great sense of peace. It’s an amazing story from a God with enough flexibility to do it any way He sees fit.
Thankfully I’ve not experienced a supernatural situation like that. If I didn’t run into a wall trying to exit the room, I might likely faint. The shepherds on this night were pretty scared. As I read this passage, I am struck by how the Good News is given to all people yet still makes many uncomfortable or even afraid.
If God sent His Son to ransack the earth, then I’d have a reason for panic. But the word is He sent Him to reconcile me to Himself through His Chosen Redeemer and that fills me with a great sense of peace. It’s an amazing story from a God with enough flexibility to do it any way He sees fit.
He brought Jesus to us through a humble birth with the words “Do not be afraid.” I need not fear anything He offers, or for that matter, anything the world throws at me. The ever-present Jesus provides me with peace and not panic. After the shepherds heard what the angel said they went to check it out. They came back with great joy praising God for all the things they had seen and heard which were just as the angel had told them. Lowly keepers of the sheep were the first to proclaim the Good Shepherd and those who heard them were amazed. Still after all these years the Christmas story still amazes and brings continual peace and great joy. Jesus’ birth may have been of very humble origin but with the angelic host’s appearance He definitely had Heaven’s stamp of approval. The Word made flesh among us. Good tidings of great Joy to all mankind with an encouragement not to be afraid. That’s peace and not panic.
Ken
www.devotionstoday.blogspot.com
