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“And the angel said to them, ‘Fear not: for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.’” Luke 2:10 (KJV)

Behold

The angel brought the most important message the world has ever heard. He needed the chosen shepherds to understand the importance of the event that had happened.

When we want another person’s attention, we might say, “Look.” We may mean to direct his or her to something we desire them to see. When I was on edge or angry, I used to say, “Look,” or “Look, you!”

In the Christmas story recorded in Luke, the angel ‘came upon’ the shepherds. The sky shone forth a brightness that scared them. “And the angel said to them, ‘Fear not: for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.’”

The angel of God brought news worthy of hearing and wanted the shepherds to understand the event that happened and the celebration that followed.

Across the Christian world we prepare to celebrate the birth of the Savior. People will come together to observe family traditions. Some will travel in order to be with family. Others will celebrate Christ’s birth a bit differently because of a loss of a family member. Some religious groups hold a worship service on Christmas Eve. Members of one local protestant church in our town congregate together for a service at midnight, inviting the community to join them.

However we choose to observe Christmas, He should be the focus of the celebration. We need to take the time to focus on Him and what He means to us and we should thank Him for who He is and what He has done for us.

Joy

We should be joyful for His deeds in our behalf. He came to earth, for you and me, He taught God’s ways, also for you and me. He suffered a criminal’s death that you and I might be free from sin. He returned to be with His Father to prepare a home, again, for you and me. He will return to earth to live with you and me.

Jesus Christ did something no one else ever did for us. Jesus submitted Himself to the agony of the cross for you and me. I learned as an adult that God has this plan in mind when he sent Jesus to earth. Our Father thought out his plan for our salvation before he approached Mary. The angel of God told Joseph to name the child Immanuel, which means God with us. The message of the angel verifies for me that this was God’s intent.

To All

Jesus came for all people. God sent the angel to carry the message to the poorest of the poor. Had it been God’s plan to send His Son to the wealthy, He would have sent the good news to the rulers of the land.

I recently read an article that reminded me of an excerpt of Henri Nouwen’s writings. Basically, it states that the poor see both good and evil more clearly than the affluent. The lines are more distinct1

Nouwen observes that “one of the temptations of the upper-middle-class to create gray areas between good and evil.”2We sometimes get a certain mindset that ‘wrong is wrong except when it applies to me and mine.’ As a society we have learned to rationalize everything.

We need to stop judging others by what we see. Each person who is different from what we believe is normal is an individual who deserves God’s mercy. It is our job to show His mercy to all we meet. By practicing God’s love for all we meet we allow others to see a little of God’s Kingdom and experience His love.

Jesus came to earth for all people. Isn’t it our responsibility to carry out His work so others can also share in the Kingdom and in His love?

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1.Gracias by Henri Nouwen as cited in disciplines for the inner life, pp.87-88 by Bob Benson Sr. and Michael Benson Generoux 1989

2.Ibid.

"Today's Little Lift" from Jim Bullington

Mercy and not Sacrifice (Sept. 30, 2010)