Today's Reading: Luke 2:8-20
"Glory to God in the Highest,
and on earth peace, goodwill toward men."
It began as another ordinary night for the shepherds, bedding down for the night in the fields with their sheep.
"... behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them...
the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid." vs 9
No wonder they were afraid, imagine the ordinary night transforming to the brilliance from the realm of glory as an angel appeared right there before them. The angel said:
I bring you good tidings
of great joy
of great joy
which will be to all people.
For there is born to YOU this day
in the city of David
a Savior. who is Christ the Lord...'
And suddenly
there was with the angel
there was with the angel
a multitude of the heavenly
host praising God and saying:
'Glory to God in the Highest,
And on earth peace goodwill toward men!' "
vs. 10, 11 &14
vs. 10, 11 &14
Imagine the spectacle of glorious light, majestic splendor and radiant hope for all people.
I wonder if David the Shepherd King was seeing from heaven at that moment the glory of the birth of his promised son. The birth of our Savior is the answer to David's question to God,
"What are people that you should think about them,
mere mortals that you should care for them?".
We ARE in God's thoughts and He does care enough to send His Son to be born from a human in a stable with animals in it. (Very messy place to be born.)
When the angels departed the shepherds left and found Mary, Joseph and the baby lying in a manger. After seeing them they
"returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen... "
"Mary kept all these things
and pondered them in her heart."
Let us ponder in our hearts God's mercy for sending His Son
and glorify Him for all that He has done for all of us His people.
6 comments:
I get to read this one twice...good! I love these scriptures.
I close my eyes and picture the shepherds looking up at the angel and the heavenly host. The glory of God,the beauty,the pure light...I cannot imagine what they felt. The love of God to send His angel and the heavenly host to speak to the shepherds and tell them of their Saviour being born is part of the scripture that grabs me the most. God loved those shepherds,He loves us.
I will ponder the mercy and love God has for us,that He would send us His only Son.
In my early 20s, I was blessed to attend a weekly bible study conducted by a profound, anointed Scripture teacher, Fr. Jim Nesbit. He had lived in Israel with shepherds to absorb their lives and more fully understand Scripture. Fr. Jim explained that shepherds were routinely marginalized by Jewish religious leaders. Because they had to care for their sheep and lambs 24/7/365, they could not follow all the religious regulations for worshiping God and keeping the Sabbath holy. (Ironically, the Jewish Passover was completely dependent upon shepherds providing the sacrificial lambs.)
It was to these semi-outcast Jewish shepherds that the angels appeared -- not to the priests and religious leaders. The Lord makes Himself known to humble hearts, and it is the humble who readily recognize their need for a Savior and embrace Him.
Imagine the shepherds' bursting joy -- that MULTITUDES of angels had appeared to THEM with the good news that the long-awaited Messiah had been born. Not only was God not ostacizing them because of their profession, but He had sent them a personal, angelic invitation welcoming them, urging them to visit the newborn Savior. Truly a message that Jesus has come for everyone. That He wants us near Him!
Marjie, your comment is so interesting! I always wondered why shepherds were so despised in Israel... I mean, what's wrong with being a shepherd? However, with your comment, I understand more.
Regarding the fact that in order to celebrate the Passover, shepherds were definitively needed... how very true! The shepherds couldn't fully keep the Sabbath for obvious reasons but God used them to provide the Passover lambs, proving that He looks at what's in the heart. Even the Law had to be practiced, first and foremost, by knowing God personally and having faith in Him.
Again, we see in this passage, how God chooses 'noobs' to this world and uses them for His glory! Moreover, to the humbled, He gives immense privileges and callings! He so loves the outcast and rejected of this world! If the rest of the world doesn't like us, at least, we know that God loves us to pieces and that He wishes to privilege us greatly! He cares!
I love what you both wrote! I've always loved the fact that God chose the shepherds, but after reading about how they were semi-outcasts...I love it even more. God truly loves us. :)
When God told the Prophet Samuel to go to Jesse to anoint one of his sons king of Israel, Jesse brought out all his sons except the youngest, David, who had been given the lowly task of tending the sheep -- of being a shepherd. Jesse never dreamed God would choose David! Isn't it wonderful that Heaven's first announcement of the birth of the Messiah (son of David) would be to -- Shepherds!
And because the inns were full, Mary and Joseph were housed in a stable where they would have privacy for the birth.... and a place where they could receive visitors! A place where shepherds would feel completely comfortable and "at home".
Years later, Jesus would teach several parables about sheep and shepherds. Painting a picture of God as the good shepherd who would faithfully tend his sheep and search for the lost.
I think there is a message here to Christians of all denominations. There may be a temptation to believe my denomination is superior to all others.... yet it was to to a group disdained by the Jewish "church" leaders -- to shepherds -- that the joyful Angels were sent to announce the birth of the long-awaited Messiah....
Here we are in 2020, eleven years after these comments were posted. It has been quite an unusual and very difficult year. This year, as I was re-posting the Advent Blogs, I read many of them, as well as the comments during my devotional time.
Ladies, I love your comments above, as well as the many others through out these Advent posts. They are very inspiring and uplifting during a time I have struggled. I have no idea if any of you will get my comment posted so many years later. I realize Blogger is old technology. Al and I decided not to use Facebook so long ago and have lost contact with you.
Do any of you have ideas of where I can move my blog posts? Better technology for connecting as well as a platform that does not censor?
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