Luke 2:8-18 An Angelic Encounter
8 That night, in a field near Bethlehem, there were shepherds watching over their flocks. 9 Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared in radiant splendor before them, lighting up the field with the blazing glory of God, and the shepherds were terrified! 10 But the angel reassured them, saying, “Don’t be afraid. For I have come to bring you good news, the most joyous news the world has ever heard! And it is for everyone everywhere! 11 For today in Bethlehem a rescuer was born for you. He is the Lord Yahweh, the Messiah. 12 You will recognize him by this miracle sign: You will find a baby wrapped in strips of cloth and lying in a feeding trough!”
13 Then all at once, a vast number of glorious angels appeared, the very armies of heaven! And they all praised God, singing:
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“Glory to God in the highest realms of heaven!
For there is peace and a good hope given to the sons of men.”
15 When the choir of angels disappeared back to heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go! Let’s hurry and find this Word that is born in Bethlehem and see for ourselves what the Lord has revealed to us.”
16 So they ran into the village and found their way to Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in a feeding trough.
17 Upon seeing this miraculous sign, the shepherds recounted what had just happened. 18 Everyone who heard the shepherds’ story was astonished by what they were told.
In our lesson today, the shepherds go from being terrified of the glory of God to being hungry for an encounter with the Lord. They are driven to pursue the Word in order to see if the angelic message is true? Fear will always come to rob us of God’s Word that brings salvation; we must use our faith and press beyond our fears. The angels brought the Word, but the shepherds had to believe and follow the Word in order to experience the miracle of salvation God had for them. When the shepherd’s hunger took them to the Messiah and they saw the Word manifest, their lives were never the same. They knew they had witnessed the miracle from heaven the angels came to announced. The Word brings miraculous ways to rescue, save, deliver, and heal us. We must believe and obey. Go after the glorious Word with all your heart this Christmas. You will find the Messiah there.
Prayer: Lord, thank you for the Good News of Messiah and the miracles he brings into our lives. I believe your Word is Truth and I will be looking for the salvation only you can bring me. In Jesus’ name. Amen.