Luke 2:8-20
We were frightened and excited at the same time. First, there was one then a multitude. It all started when we were minding the sheep one night.
Suddenly an angel of the Lord stood before us and immediately, we were surrounded by a bright white light. The star-studded night was no match for the light of the glory of the Lord. We were terribly frightened ... we didn’t even dare move an inch lest we sinful men come into contact with the glory of God’s holiness.
Then the angel proclaimed,
“Do not be afraid;
for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy
which shall be for all the people;
for today in the city of David
there has been born for you a Savior,
who is Christ the Lord ...”
A Savior is born? Today? Christ the Lord is born today? Yes, this is indeed good news of great joy. All our fears faded ... replaced with excitement. We have been waiting for years for a Savior. According to the angel, the Savior will be born in the city of David ... in Bethlehem. And we will recognize him as he would be wrapped in strips of cloth and lying in a manger.
And suddenly, a multitude ... hundreds of them! A choir of angels, singing a song of praise to God ... such singing we have never heard before.
“Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace among men
with whom He is pleased.”
The angels disappeared as suddenly as they appeared. We remained silent till our eyes slowly adjusted to the dark of the night. Then all at once we began talking about what we heard and saw.
We hurried to Bethlehem to search for the child. It wasn’t easy ... knocking on doors, asking if there is a newborn within and one who meets the descriptions. More and more people in Bethlehem were excited about the news and quite a number joined us in the search for the child. We found him ... just as the angel said ... lying in a manger, wrapped in cloths.
Since then we share with everyone we meet what we had heard and seen ... that the one, whom we were waiting for, has finally come! And they all wondered at these things.
Jesus Christ would come twice, the first time as Savior ... this is good news for all people ... and the second time as Judge ... but this will be good news for some and bad news for others.
John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. 19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.
Will you believe in Christ, the Savior?