"And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior 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.'
Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying. 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.'
When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, 'Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.'
So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told." Luke 2:8-20
I'm sitting in my living room this morning, enjoying the silence and peace and the lights of the Christmas tree, knowing that at any time now that silence will be broken and chaos will commense! I love it all, the peace and quiet and the chaos of Christmas morning. As I've had my quiet time this morning I read, meditated on and journaled these verses from Luke 2. I think that it's my favorite part of the Christmas story. I invision the terror and awe of the shepherds as they are visited by the angel, and then the joy as the angel's message penetrates their hearts and their heads. They'd been waiting for the Messiah, along with every other Jewish man, woman, boy and girl. And now they were being told that the time had come, by an angel followed by a host of angels singing and praising God. Unbelievable, my mind can't even comprehend what it would have been like to witness such an event.
Then these humble shepherds didn't waste one minute, they immediately headed to Bethlehem to meet this baby that the angels told them about; this baby whose birth would change the scope of history. All that the angel had told them was true; again they wasted no time but set out at once to spread the good news, telling everyone that they met what had occurred that wondrous night. As they shared with Mary and Joseph about their visit from the angels, and then as she watched these men leave to become what would be the world's first evangelists, she pondered all of it and treasured it in her heart.
These past few weeks I have heard a lot of people share what this holidy season means to them: "Happy holidays, Happy Kwanza, Happy Hanakuh, Merry Christmas. Whatever the season means to you may it be filled with joy and peace and happiness." "Christmas is about family and traditions and getting together with friends. It's about showing kindness and compassion and generosity in a world that concerns itself with these things less and less. It's about looking outside of yourself and helping those who are less fortunate." All good things, all things that make you feel warm and fuzzy inside.
And then there's the frenzy that this time of year brings, the chaos and stress that it produces for so many people. The depression, anxiety and fatigue that it means for some. We try and do too much, there's never enough time, we panic about whether or not we got the right gifts for everyone, or if we've forgotten someone. We shop and bake and decorate and socialize. And at some point we've lost the sense of awe and wonder that the shepherds experienced. Somewhere amidst the wrapping paper and bows and baked goods we've lost Jesus. Somewhere under the tree among all of the gifts we've forgotten the ultimate I know that there have been times during this busy season that I've lost Him.
I want to be more like the Shepherds, more like Mary. I want to discover the baby Jesus and know the awe and wonder of who He is, why He came, what He's done for me. And then I want to go out and spread the good news to everyone that I meet, that "God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life"; I want to share this message with the excitement and joy of the shepherds. And then I want to be like Mary and continually ponder in my heart all Jesus' birth means to me and hold it like a treasure, greater than any gift ever given.
May the magic of Christmas be real to all of you, may you realize the gift that God gave to all the world when He sent His Son to earth in the form of a human baby, knowing full well the sacrifice that was needed in order for us to spend eternity with Him. This gift has no price tag and didn't come wrapped up in fancy paper, but was instead wrapped up in simple swadling cloths laying in a rough manger in a stable. My prayer is that it thrills your heart the way it has mine this morning!
