They Came…They Saw (Point to Christ-Day 3)
OPENING PRAYER:
Dear Lord, we anticipate the glory of your son bursting forth in our hearts today! “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you,” Isaiah 60:1, NIV. Make us beacons today, showering your love upon everyone we encounter. Amen.
The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told. Luke 2:20, NIV
REFLECT:
When the shepherds who were told about the Christ child went on into Bethlehem, no one would have expected them to be the ones telling of an encounter with angels. These men would not have been regarded as having insight into political or religious issues of the day. When the news showed up to report on the event of the birth of Christ, no one would have reached out to interview the shepherds. Instead, they would have looked to one of the religious authorities or ruling class members to get their insight into this amazing day. God revealed the birth of his son to shepherds, and it was the shepherds who hurried into Bethlehem to see this baby the angels had told them about.
Consider if the angels had visited a priest or a rich man? Would they have scoffed at the event as something they imagined? Would they have been afraid to believe it and share it with others and risk being ridiculed in their social circles? We cannot be sure, but what we do know is this. The shepherds “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.” (Luke 2:16-18, NIV). A savior had been born to the world and the shepherds were the first ones to tell others about him.
APPLY:
Have you encountered Jesus Christ and made him your savior and Lord? Have you begun that relationship but have been hesitant to tell others about him? God chose the lowly of the world when he chose the shepherds to tell others the good news. God has chosen us to share the good news today as well. Not only of the birth of our savior, but of his death, burial, and resurrection. “That whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16b, NIV). As the song proclaims in Silent Night: “With the dawn of redeeming grace; Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth; Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth.”
CLOSING PRAYER:
Heavenly father, teach us to share your word freely, as Paul attests in Romans 1:16, NIV, “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first the Jew, then for the Gentile.”
WORSHIP: