THE CHRISTMAS ANNOUNCEMENT

Luke 2:8-14 NKJV 

8 Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. 10 Then the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. 11 For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, 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, goodwill toward men!" 

Merry Christmas! I did not want this day to pass without taking the time to read the announcement by the angels to the shepherds. It’s a bit cliche but still accurate to talk about losing the meaning of Christmas in all the events surrounding Christmas, so a couple of minutes to pause and reflect is well worth the effort. 

Isn't it fascinating that God chose a bunch of shepherds to hear the announcement of the birth of Jesus? This may not be the group most people, including me, would have picked. Maybe a local priest or the most devout family in town. Maybe a local leader with significant influence. Nope. God picked these shepherds to be the witnesses. One thing about these guys, they did what the angels said and then verse 17 tells us they made the news of this amazing baby widely known. God picked some good witnesses. 

The angels did not say that a baby was born. They said that a Savior was born, Christ the Lord. God considered it done before Jesus ever worked a miracle and long before He went to the cross. God sees the end from the beginning. 

The good tidings of great joy to all people was there would be peace on earth between God and man. And God's favor, or goodwill, was on display for all. The birth of Jesus was the beginning of a new relationship with God that we are a part of today. 

The good news of Christmas is the birth of the One who saved us from our sins and connected us to our Heavenly Father. Long after the gifts and events of the Christmas season have faded away, we will be celebrating our Savior throughout eternity. And that makes for a very merry Christmas! 

Glory to God in Highest and thank Him for all He has done! Merry Christmas!