Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. 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. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger." And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!" So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, "Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us." And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger. (NKJV)
Thoughts
I'm going to tell this amazing story and take the liberty to place you in it . You'll be a shepherd, walk back to the campfire, and sit on your log again. It's a pretty fire tonight. The other sheep are talking about where to look for that lost wanderer.
All of a sudden out of nowhere walks up this huge glowing muscle man as if he was welcome at your fire. He's huge like an alien you hear stories about.
You look at the others cause you think you're seeing things and going crazy. The conversation has stopped and everyone is staring at this monster man. A couple of the guys appear ready to bolt as this guy stares. You know your time has come to die as a flick of his finger could crush your skull. You do the only thing you can do and quickly utter a prayer, "GOD Almighty, we need YOUR help now!!!"
One of your fleeing coworkers hits the wood pile, falls, and says some words not repeatable.
Suddenly the monster begins to speaks, "Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people," Luke 2:10b (NKJV).
Boy are you afraid, still clutching your knife and staff just in case and he wants joy? You stand frozen by fear as the massive man, if you can call him that, continues to speak, "For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, Who is CHRIST the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger," Luke 2:11-12 (NKJV).
As the bright white emphasizes the word "You" he points. You wince when his eyes and hand stop on you. His hand has got to be as big as an adult sheep. He continues, "Who is CHRIST the Lord," Luke 2:11b (NKJV).
The other guys carefully step back to the fire still shaking in fear. You think to yourself, "I know of the CHRIST as I was taught these lessons as a child." Suddenly it dawns on you, "This monster being is an a . . .n . . .g . . .e . . .l!!! Glowing because he must have come from GOD's presence!!!"
The mighty angel begins to speak again, "And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe," looking at each of us, "Wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger," Luke 2:12 (NKJV). The angel stops, closes his eyes, and bows his head.
Everything is still except the crack of the fire and "hoo, hoo" of a nearby owl. You question yourself why in the world is the CHRIST in a manger? He should be in a palace or in an impressive synagogue. Why is this angel here telling us this message and not to the fancy look-down-on-you Pharisees. The silence segments each thought!!!!
Suddenly the valley we were camped in becomes bright as day. It's almost blinding. There are monster dudes, I mean a . . . n . . . g . . . e . . . l . . . s everywhere, on the hills, around the fire, throughout the sheep. Got to be thousands and thousands of them. You wonder where did they all come from? You think to yourself no one is going to believe this!!!
You can't see the messaging angel anymore because of the others since your head comes almost to their waists. You weave in and out to see him again and as you do the massive angels ever so gently pat you on the back as they part. Then the message angel opens his eyes, raises his head, and lifts his hands toward the sky. And all at once, all at the same time, these thousands of angels say, "Glory to GOD in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men," Luke 2:14 (NKJV). It is so loud you think your ears will burst. You're amazed and not afraid anymore. The informative messenger looks at all of you again, nods his head, and disappears right before your eyes. In fact, they all do in an instant. Only flickering firelight and silence remain. You find yourself standing back near the fire looking at each other as shock tumbles from everybody's pores!!!
Within seconds, you command, "Let's go!!!!"
(MQ)
Action Point
We have seen this event portrayed in kids' plays many times and this amazing event may have lost its impact.
Why did GOD choose shepherds? They were the lowlifes of that day. The Talmud rejects shepherds and GOD chose them.
The message here is that GOD uses regular guys to accomplish HIS will. Guys whose hearts are addicted to HIM. Not the guys that have it all together or, at least, pretend they do!
During your quiet time and personal Bible study, what has God and the Holy Spirit been directing you to step out in faith and follow His Lead to accomplish for Him in 2013?
Sportsmen's Tip of the Day
Portable golf cart heaters are excellent for tree stand heaters.
