Thoughts for the Day

Luke 2: 8-20 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 that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is the Messiah, 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 heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favour 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.

This journey closes as it opened, with another angelic visitation striking fear into those who witness it – this time shepherds.  Again, the cause isn’t really the angel but the glory of the Lord shining around them.  Again, the angel says “Do not be afraid” before giving once-in-history good news – this time of the birth of Jesus.  I’m curious about the confirmatory sign.  I would have imagined the sudden visible multitude of angels singing praises in words they recognised might have been a stronger confirmation than simply finding a baby, even one in a manger.  But news of the baby grounds the message in reality and sends the shepherds off to check it out.

What do Mary and Joseph make of their arrival?  Theirs has been a tough journey.  Going through labour by an animal trough was surely neither easy nor pleasant, and there has been no fanfare of angels here.  Has this really been God’s plan?  They could do with some encouragement!  The unlikely group enters amazed, excited, bursting with a story that fits completely with what angels had declared to Mary and Joseph months before.  It’s messy and intrusive, but sounds like just what they need, confirming matters not only for the shepherds but for them too, and reassuring them that God is in this.  Hallelujah!