Read
The Shepherds
8That night in the fields near Bethlehem some shepherds were guarding their sheep. 9 All at once an angel came down to them from the Lord, and the brightness of the Lord's glory flashed around them. The shepherds were frightened. 10But the angel said, “Don't be afraid! I have good news for you, which will make everyone happy. 11This very day in King David's hometown a Savior was born for you. He is Christ the Lord. 12You will know who he is, because you will find him dressed in baby clothes and lying on a bed of hay.”
13Suddenly many other angels came down from heaven and joined in praising God. They said:
14“Praise God in heaven!
Peace on earth to everyone
who pleases God.”
15After the angels had left and gone back to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let's go to Bethlehem and see what the Lord has told us about.” 16They hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and they saw the baby lying on a bed of hay.
17When the shepherds saw Jesus, they told his parents what the angel had said about him. 18Everyone listened and was surprised. 19But Mary kept thinking about all this and wondering what it meant.
20As the shepherds returned to their sheep, they were praising God and saying wonderful things about him. Everything they had seen and heard was just as the angel had said.
Reflect
Like the shepherds on the hills surrounding Bethlehem, we have our rather mundane routines that make up a large portion of our lives. We have our responsibilities, our families or groups of people we spend a lot of time with, and our small, familiar corner of geography.
The appearance of angels in the night sky changed all that for these shepherds. Suddenly their responsibility was not just for a flock of sheep, but it was to be witnesses to the birth of the Saviour of the world, and to begin to share that news with all people. They would now have an association with heavenly beings, and hold the baby Christ child. And no longer would they spend their days looking at the same dusty hillsides – for the rest of their lives they would turn their gaze upward, marvelling at the vast expanse of the heavens knowing that a host of unseen angels hovered just out of sight.
No wonder this caused great fear! A similar vision would uproot our belief that what we see is ultimately what is most true. As much as we may say that we have faith in an eternal realm, we live as if our temporal surroundings are what matter most.
To truly believe the angels’ words would cause us to truly believe God was pleased with us. Even in our ordinariness, and our unspectacular lives. It would mean that the gospel was the greatest news ever told, and that God was longing to bring peace into our fear, and joy into our darkness.
A heavenly host is surrounding you, singing praise to God and longing for you to be filled with joy at the gift of the Christ child. Join them, this Christmas and every day.
Respond
Glory to you, God, in the highest, for the gift of your Son. Thank you for your peace, your joy and the wonder of your good news of salvation. May we live in the awe of the Christmas story, and share our joy with others. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Miriam Wickett
Miriam Wickett works as an occupational therapist in the Greater Vancouver area but has thoroughly enjoyed being the author of daily online prayer compilations on her Blue Stone City site, and collaborating with Scripture Union Canada as a result. She shares a vision for the city with her community at Tenth Church, serving as the refugee support ministry co-ordinator, and spends summers as a volunteer camp director on beautiful Thetis Island, B.C.