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've been hopping around churches a lot the last couple weeks, trying to find one that I like. I'm leaning to towards the one that I started with. The church has a great pastor and isn't that big, something I prefer. I'll try to update you guys on my church hunt.
It's not Christmas, but it's always refreshing to read this story about the birth of Christ. We start with the shepherds. They are attending their business and an angel appears. Like Zechariah and Mary, the shepherds are scared, but the angel again assures them to not be afraid. It's a recurring theme, it seems, to be "terrified" when an angel appears. That brings to question, how would you react? If an angel appears to you, would you think it's for a good purpose or for bad? I think the inital reaction would be one of horror because we would think about all the sins we've committed. If an angel appears, we might think surely it's not cause I did anything good.
Fortunately the angel appeared to these shepherds for a good reason: to tell them about the coming of Christ. Then more angels appear to praise God. One thing to note about their praise is who that they mention: "men on whom his favor rests." Who are these men that God finds favor? Is it all of us? Christians only? Whoever these angels are singing about, it isn't everyone inclusive.
How do these shepherds respond? Is it more like Zechariah? Or like Mary? I think the shepherds react more like Mary in that they are excited and immediately go to Bethlehem to see all that was told. They then spread the word of all the things that have happened. They are extremely happy and praise the Lord.
Mary was a little different. She seems a little more conservative with her emotions. Like I mentioned before, I think Mary really shows her maternal personalities here. She's happy for Jesus, but worried at the same time.
The coming of Christ was an exciting thing. People probably all had different views on it. The important thing to take here, I think, is that this isn't necessarily for everyone. Jesus came to save us all, but only those who have been found in favor by God will truly be saved. It's important to remember that we won't all necessarily walk into the kingdom of God.
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