READ: Luke 2:8-18
8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, 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, good will toward men.
15 And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.
16 And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.
17 And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.
18 And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.
KEY THOUGHT:
As the final week before Christmas approaches, we must consider the hope of Christmas that the shepherds had on the very night that Christ was born. Their hope had a name prophesied ages ago. Their hope had a promise given and passed down by patriarchs, priests and kings. Their hope, their promise was for a King above all kings. But their hope and the promise seemed empty…
They must have felt all alone at the end of the world… not really the best of feelings to have, right? Day after day, week after week, year after year, the words were spoken by the priests and scribes. Words of God, written by His chosen prophet Isaiah, words that spoke of a Redeemer, a Deliverer, a child that would come and set His people free – the Messiah! Even with such promise, one could only imagine the feelings experienced by shepherds on that cold, dark night as they tended their flocks lonely and longing but losing hope.
The Lord had been silent. For over 400 years, there was no new word. Prophecy had ceased. The Lord’s intervention was not evident in the lives of His people. It was the end of the world as they knew it and they were alone… and many had stopped looking as they assimilated into their new world ruled by Caesar.
But in that field that night, as the shepherds pondered their sheep and what little hope of the future they might have, God chose to send an angel to let them know that all hope was not lost. Hope was born that night! To those who remained faithful, the angel bid, “come and see.” To the shepherds in the field, frightened yet in awe and wonderment, their thoughts must have been, “could it be? Do you believe, is this who we’ve waited for?”
Is this the child prophesied over 800 years ago? Is this the King that would deliver us and bring freedom we so desperately longed for? As the shepherds made haste with great anticipation to visit Bethlehem and see the child that would save them, they had no idea of what was to come. It was the end of the world as they knew it and they were no longer alone. They had a King! A King like no other king! A King that give everything to be with those He loved! A new world was coming… not a world ruled by Caesar, but a kingdom ruled by Christ!
The above story is an image of what it might have been like that night when Christ was born. Some of it is factual and some of it, like many of the Christmas songs we sing and the stories we tell, is adornment. But the truth remains, a King was born that night. But was He the King we were waiting for? Consider this: when you first encountered Jesus, was He all that you expected Him to be? Was He even the King that you would make “king” of your life, your “lord” or your “savior?”
The shepherds that night probably had new expectations and a hope that had just been rekindled by their encounter with an angel. According to scripture when the shepherds got to Jesus, they found who they were waiting for and their whole world changed! They were impressed so much that they hurried out to tell others. Is that your experience? When you had that first encounter with Jesus Christ, the King of Kings, was He who you were waiting for? Was the experience so impressive that your whole world changed, and you had to tell everyone? And if so, is that encounter still as impressive? Are you still telling others about how Jesus changed everything for you? If not, then maybe you, me and others who may have become a little complacent in our Christianity need to be reminded… Jesus came. He came not just as a baby, but as King and Savior. He lives and is still King and Savior to you and me. And as King, He did more for you and me than we could ever imagine, expect or even desire. He changed our life, our world, our eternity! What other King or ruler would do that? Yes, this is who we’ve waited for! So, this Christmas let’s rekindle the excitement of knowing this King, a King like none before or after Him, Jesus Christ- the only King who would love us enough to save us by dying in our place… Let’s tell others of the one and only King of Kings this Christmas!
Note: Some of the inspiration for today’s devotional message came from the song How Many Kings as performed by the Christian musical group “Downhere.” If you’re not familiar with the song, why not look it up? It’s worth a listen this Christmas season.
CONSIDER:
- How did you react the first time you encountered Jesus Christ?
- Why do you think many Christians get complacent after a while? Has complacency been creeping up on you?
- What can you do to sustain the excitement of knowing Jesus Christ, not only through the Christmas season, but throughout the year as well?
APPLICATION:
Recall the magnificence of Jesus Christ and make Him first in everything you do!
