The shepherds had a different experience because as they were tending to their flocks by night, the angel of the Lord appeared and the glory of the Lord shone round about. This angel came with a message that would change the world forever. In Luke 2:10-12 “And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.”
Wow, what an awesome message that was and if that was the only thing that happened it would be enough to rejoice about! But there’s more, the Bible goes on to say in Luke 2: 13-14 “And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men” Heaven got so excited about the good news that the angelic choir had to break out in song!
Why did they get excited? Because the One who would save humankind from sin, the One who would heal the sick, deliver the captives, break bondages and chains off of peoples lives, He was born! The answer to every problem, the remedy was here! Jesus, the Christ, the Son of the Living God was born! Born for you and I; born that we may live and have life more abundantly; born to bring us into the presence of God! The greatest Gift to man had taken His first breath!
In Luke 2:15 it says “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.” Once the shepherds found out He was here they said ‘Lets go now! We have got to see this for ourselves, the Saviour is born!’
That’s how I felt when I heard the good news that Jesus was born. I said “Lets go now, I have to see this for myself.” And the day I sought after Him, I found Him! But He was no longer a baby in a manager. He grew up and went about doing good; healing and delivering those that were oppressed of the devil. He gave his life on Calvary and shed His blood for the remission of our sins and rose again with all power.
This Gift has given me joy, health, strength and peace! That precious new life that God had given to the world is now in my heart and I have this gift with me all the time. And now everywhere I look I can see Jesus!
I see Him at the altar when a soul is being saved
I see Him in my Pastor when she preaches the word of God
I hear Him when the choir sings
I see Him in the tears of brothers and sisters who give to the mission fields
I see Him on the smiles of children that have food to eat in Africa
I hear Him in the laughter of boys and girls that are able to go to school
I feel him in the embrace of thankful Pastors in the jungles of Peru
I hear him in the sounds of the waters traveling down the Amazon River
This year, as you celebrate the birth of our Saviour, I want to encourage you to give generously to missions, for by doing so you will cause someone to experience the joy of Christmas each and everyday of their lives.
On behalf of our Missions Ministry, Thank You & May you have Very Merry Christmas and most blessed New Year!
--Rev. Sanchez
No comments:
Post a Comment
Thank you for your comments! All comments are reviewed in a timely fashion before being published to the WWLM Report Blog. Please check back later to see any comments you have posted.