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It’s Christmas! Maybe you are celebrating with loved ones and your home is full of laughter and activity or maybe you are on your own and facing a Christmas that seems lonely and quiet?
Whatever is going on in our lives, we can know the joy of God coming into our world as a baby. We can look beyond the busyness, the food and the gifts and join the angels to celebrate the wonder of Jesus birth. I love the story of how the ordinary, rough and ready shepherds were suddenly enabled to see into Heaven and witnessed ‘a great company of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favour rests.”’ (Luke 2:13)
The wonder of Christmas is the dawning of glorious light instead of the darkness of despair; the light of hope instead of hopelessness; of chosenness instead of rejection; of significance instead of unwantedness; of togetherness instead of aloneness.
Shepherds were considered as the lowest of the low by other Israelites. They lived apart from others out in the fields, their only company the prowling wild animals. Why would God choose such an insignificant group to reveal the glory of Heaven to and tell the awesome news of Jesus birth? The amazing thing is the depth of what the messenger angel communicated to the shepherds: ‘Today in the town of David a saviour has been born to you. He is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you. You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.’
Only these particular shepherds would have understood that message. It referred to their own practice in preparing the lambs for the Passover. The sacrificial lambs had to be perfect without any spot or blemish. Every time such a new lamb was born they would be wrapped in cloths by these shepherds and placed in a trough. This was to protect them until the Passover when they would be presented as a perfect sacrifice.
So, God chose the lowly shepherds to be the first to know the secret of what the birth of this new baby really meant. He gave them a riddle that He knew they would understand to the full and which would change their lives forever. Heaven came to earth as God touched ordinary men and women with the fire of His love and opened the door for us all to see into Heaven and hear His voice.
Humanly the shepherds were nothing, living in dark, lonely places and we too can feel isolated, lonely and outcast from those around us.But just as God spoke so personally to the shepherds and drew them into new joy in living, so He longs to fill your heart with His love, open your eyes to His glory and speak His secrets into your heart.
Be blessed this Christmas as you join your song to the angels:
Glory to God in the highest. Peace on earth and goodwill to all men on whom His favour rests.
