Devotion:
For an audio version of this devotion, click here.
Read Luke 2:4-11.
This passage is so very meaningful when we read it or hear it in worship during the season of Christmas, and reading it today is a wonderful reminder of the awesome gift of the Christ to all of us. Luke’s gospel emphasizes the way Jesus reached out to those on the margins of society and showed love and care for them. It is no accident that the angel who came to announce the birth of Christ went to a group of poor shepherds with this awesome Good News.
The opening greeting from the angel, telling the shepherds not to be afraid, lets us know how scary it would be for an angel to appear out of the night. But the announcement that followed is so very reassuring…this good news “will cause great joy for all the people.” As I read this today, I hear an emphasis on the word “all.” God had sent his Son into the world so that all who believe in him may have eternal life. Christ came as a gift for each and every one of us. The choice to receive or reject the gift is up to us. The religious elite of Jesus’ day rejected the gift because he did not fit their mold. If we are to truly accept the gift, we must let Christ shape and mold and teach us his way.
Personal Worship Option:
Gracious God, thank you again for the gift of your son into the world. Help me to submit to his teachings and learn to live his way. Point me to the shepherds of our day who are waiting to hear this awesome Good News. Amen.
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