Luke 2
8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. 10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. 12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, 14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. 15 And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.
16 And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. 17 And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. 18 And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. 19 But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.
What does Christmas mean to us – presents and pleasure? Do we live our lives as if nothing extraordinary had happened.
When the shepherd were out in the field, tending their flock, it was just another ordinary day for them. But they must have been of those waiting for the Messiah, because they immediately went to see, when they received the message of Christ’s birth. We need the same – a revelation of the Lord in our lives. We need God to reveal Himself to each and everyone of us.Only then are our lives thorougly transformed by what we’ve heard and seen. We might keep the whole law, and know exactly how a Christian ought to behave, but that is not enough – we need a revelation of Jesus Christ.
These shepherd were honorable and faithful in the work entrusted to them. Where are people like this, who serve the Lord in their work? Faithfulness means that you can be faithful to that entrusted to you by God – that your work will be to God’s glory and not for your own profit.
FEAR AND CONVICTION: When the glory of the Lord shone about them, they were frightened. Have you experienced this – that God’s revelation of His holiness reveals your own shortcoming before Him and causes you to fear Him. This is the revelation which each one of us needs. When you see yourself as a sinner in the presence of God’s holiness, you will realise that you deserve nothing else but damnation. When Saul (who became Paul) received this revelation, he fell down as dead. May we forget everyone else and see ourselves in the light of God’s glory, that we would realise our need of Christ who alone can save us.
GOD’S COMFORT: God’s angel, however, immediately comforted them, not to be afraid, for he brings them Good News. This is the beauty of the gospel of Christ. He shows us our sin, ugliness and desparate shortcoming, but immediately points us to the One who can help us. Have you come to Jesus to wash your sins away by His precious blood? Has this Child been born in your heart, or is He only a historical figure for you? He can make everything new in your life, no matter how difficult it is and what you’ve gone through. God’s Son, Christ Jesus, has been born in this world so that He can be born in your life and give you newness of life. We know this, but have we experienced this? Has Christ brought the glory of heaven into your life? Christ has been born, who came to save His people from their sin. Has He saved you from your sin?
If the shepherds did not go to search for the Child, they would have experienced the glory of God, but never seen the Child. They had to leave their flock, and what they were accustomed to, and go and search for the Child in Bethlehem as directed. Saul experienced God’s glory, but still had to go to Damascus and wait for Ananias to be sent by God to open His eyes. If we have a meeting with God, but do not obey, we will not receive the blessing. So too, when God reveals Himself to you, you will not be saved by glorying in God’s revelation, but by obedience and doing as God told you to.
This is the message of Christmas – that Christ has come into this world to save us from our sins – to change our whole being that everything becomes new. Christmas means nothing, unless we experience the saving grace of Jesus Christ.