Luke 2:8-12

Luke 2:8-12

And shepherds were in the same field, while living outside and while placing a guard in the night upon their flocks.  And an angel of the Lord stood near them and the glory of the Lord shone around them.  And they were being afraid great fear.  And the angels said to them, “Do not be afraid!  For behold, I announce good news to you of great joy that will be for all people.  For today a Savior, who is Christ the Lord, was being born for you all in the city of David.  And this is a sign for you all: you all will find a baby having been wrapped in swaddling clothes and while lying in a feed box.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

I’ve always wondered what it was like on that night that the angel appeared.  Imagine being a shepherd and hanging out with your friends while watching over the flock.  All of a sudden, an angel appears that you didn’t see draw near.  He just shows up, standing among them.  I can only imagine their shock and amazement.  I can only imagine their confusion.  I can only imagine their disbelief.  This is why we hear the first pronouncement of the angel.  Do not be afraid.  Again we hear the familiar caution from an angel when God shows up and is about to work.  When God’s power is truly put on display, it can be an awesome experience that strikes fear and awe into their heart.

Do you think that you would have been afraid if you had been one of the shepherds?  Do you think that you would have understood had you been there on that night?

Second Thought:

I think that one of the reasons that this story is among my favorite stories in the Bible is that it is the story where the public knowledge of God’s plan of salvation happens.  Up until now, it was basically a plot known only to Mary, Joseph, Elizabeth, and Zechariah.  But now shepherds are involved.  This also causes me to pause.  God had been planning this event for thousands of years.  Yet He chooses to have the inaugural witnesses be some common people who happen to be in the vicinity.  This story just confirms that God does new things.  He doesn’t see things through the say eyes as we do.  We would expect Jesus to be born into nobility and witnessed by the important people who could spread the word around.  Instead, God takes this plan that He’s been developing for thousands of years and that human beings had been waiting for hundreds of years and has it occur through a young unmarried girl from a town with a poor reputation and it is witnessed by a few normal shepherds.  That’s God at work.

What do you think it says about God that He chose shepherds as one of His witnesses?  Have you ever considered how the story of Jesus’ birth truly reflects God’s character and nature?

Third Thought:

If we continue the story of amazement, I wonder what the shepherds thought of the sign that they were given.  They would find a baby lying in a feed box.  On one hand, I’m sure that this is part of why the shepherds were chosen.  They would know where to look, of course.  They wouldn’t be appalled at seeing a baby among domesticated animals.  In this perspective, they were an incredible choice to bear witness to God’s hand at work.  But on the other hand, what must they have thought?  God’s Messiah had come.  That would be cool.  It would be a message of incredible joy for the Hebrew people.  But why was God’s Messiah lying in a manger?  As neat as this message would have been to hear, I can only imagine how the message continued to add to the confusion.  Of course, looking back in hindsight makes it easy to understand.  But in the moment, I can’t help but wonder how this message from God was received.

How do you think you would have reacted to the news that God’s own Messiah was resting in a feedbox?  How does this part of the story help us understand that God really doesn’t view the world through the same lens as human beings typically do?

Passage for Tomorrow: Luke 2:13-20