Dear Friend in Christ:
"Then the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord" (Luke 2:9-10).
Up until the time of Christ's birth, there had been 400 years of silence from God. The book of Malachi records the last communication with God for the Jewish nation. But the Lord had not forgotten about His people. And, just at the right time, He communicates with the world once again about the birth of Jesus Christ.
Luke 2:8-9 says, "Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid."
Imagine for a moment these shepherds. They are busy doing their work and all of a sudden an angel appears before them and they tremble in fear. Undoubtedly they knew of the many stories of God's dealing with the nation of Israel. But now all of sudden the stories are coming alive to them as they witness themselves the shekinah glory of the angel of the Lord.
The angel calms their fear and tells them the joyous news - the Savior, Jesus Christ, has been born!
After 400 years of silence, God bursts onto the scene of the history of mankind with a glorious announcement - that He has brought forth the much anticipated Savior, His very own Son, Jesus Christ.
The Gospel brings great joy because it brings salvation from sin and reconciliation with God! What can compare to that news? Because of the birth of Jesus Christ, we are able to know God. We don't have to sit through 400 years of silence from God. We can have daily communion with our Creator - we can live in His presence - we can be assured of eternal life -- because of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Notice the angel said that he brings good tidings for ALL people. No one is beyond the reach of the Lord. Jesus came to rescue all people - the Gospel is a message for everyone, no matter what kind of life one has led, it's never too late to embrace the Savior! Jesus came to deliver us back home to our Father safely!
The message of Christmas is so glorious that Luke 2:13-14 says, "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, goodwill toward men!'"
How did the shepherds respond to this news? The Bible tells us, "So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us. And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger" (Luke 2:15-16).
In a day and age that wants to remove Christ from Christmas, God brings the same message to you today that He brought to the shepherds over 2,000 years ago. How will you respond to the birth of the Savior? Will you also make haste and embrace the Gospel message, or will you ignore the joyous message of Christmas?
In Christ,
David Rosales