As this is a Passage that is read each year, I encourage you to ask the Holy Spirit to put a fresh set of eyes on you so we can read this in a new way. Merry Christmas, my beloveds.

Could you imagine being the shepherds in this scenario? The fear that must have been present at the complete shock of these angels (an army of them, at that) preaching to you the Gospel and announcing that the Messiah has actually arrived! These shepherds have been amongst those waiting in this silence that Joey and David have communicated over the last few weeks--and it's not just the silence from the stillness of the night they were in in that particular moment, but the centuries upon centuries of waiting for this One King to arrive. Only at this time, He was but just a Babe. But they somehow knew and trusted that this Babe would bring forth Good News, Great Joy, and Unbelievable Peace.

“He is here. He is finally here,” they thought as they laid their eyes on God in human flesh. They weren’t sure how He would fulfill all those promises to them, but they knew that He was indeed that fulfillment. And two-something-thousand years later, our hearts are somehow challenged in the same manner.

Luke 2.8-21

8 And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. 10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and 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 among those with whom he is pleased!”

15 When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. 17 And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. 18 And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them. 21 And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

[ WHAT ] is this passage saying and what is a key truth or thought that we learn?

+ Where on the social hierarchy were ‘shepherds’ considered to be in these days?

+ Why do you think God chose to reveal His fulfillment in this manner of a multitude/host/army of angels, and to this particular crowd?

+ What kind of ‘fear’ do you think they had? And why? Is fear always wrong?

+ What is the “Good News” the angels brought?

+ Where else in the Bible do we see angels singing in unison of the Glory, Honor, and Praise deserving to God? [Hint: Revelation :) ]

+ Shift gears a bit: how can this Scripture help plant a firm foundation in which our Hope is set on? Think of this idea of the Second Advent, where we, too, are sitting in this silence, aching and yearning for the promises of Jesus to be fulfilled to completion. There is no Second without a First.

[ HOW ] is the Lord calling me to action/obedience?

+ Is there sin to confess or a next step to take? How has it gone since last time?

+ In this season, on this day, in my current circumstances, do I still see the goodness of Jesus’ fulfillment of the old?

+ Look at these shepherds. Now look in Matthew 24 + 25 where Jesus tells us to be aware, ready, and eager for His Second Arrival. Am I choosing daily to be a part of the faithful ones singing, “come, Thou long expected Jesus”?

“Come, Thou long expected Jesus. Born to set Thy people free; from our fears and sins release us. Let us find our rest in Thee,” and in all the promises You have for us, past, present, and the ones to come. Amen.

[ WHO ] am I walking with and praying for to discover Jesus?

+ What is my next step?

+ Is there an individual or a family in this season that I can inconvenience myself for to reveal the depth and truth of Christ?

+ Can I lead my family or community in acting the Gospel truths out in a practical way this week?