Wonder - Day 24
The wonder of heaven & earth colliding
Luke 2:8-20
8 That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep.
9 Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, 10 but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. 11 The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! 12 And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.”
13 Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”
15 When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”
16 They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. 17 After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. 18 All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished, 19 but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often. 20 The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them.
I gotta tell you, when we talk about child-like wonder, this story with the angels and the shepherds speaks to it perhaps more than any other in the Christmas story.
In fact, I have often felt that the reason the angels came to the shepherds, instead of to the religious elite or the other rulers of the world, had to do with the child-like hearts of the shepherds, there openness to believe in the impossible. Night after night they stared at the stars in the sky and wondered what else was out there, who else was out there. On this night, they were shown as the veil that separates this world from the next was pulled wide open.
And here, as before, the angels have to assure the humans that there is nothing to be afraid of. Then they go on to tell them that they have good news to share. That term for good news is what we call gospel, and it wouldn’t just be good news for those shepherds that night, or just good news for the children of Israel, but good news for everyone who had ever lived, were living, or would live.
The news? The long awaited Messiah, the Savior and Lord, has come into the world in the way the prophecies foretold; in Bethlehem, the city of David. The king of the universe was lying in a manger, wrapped in swaddling clothes, completely dependent on those that he created to care for his every need. Oh the wonder of it all!
It’s hard to imagine the next scene; a vast army of angels filling the sky. Night must have become day in that moment, and though Luke says the angels said the next line, we all know they sang it… “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace and goodwill to men!” (that’s how I hear it in my head).
Finally, the Savior was here!
In all the commotion of these moments, I’ve always been drawn to the subtle line describing how Mary responded. It simply says, ‘Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often.” That’s what mom’s do. They watch over their children, they care for their every need, and the beem with joy, pride, and humility, that they get to raise them to become the people God created them to be. Of course, it’s a little different when the baby you’re beeping over is God, but still, it’s important for all of us to take moments where we step back and reflect on all the things that God has done, is doing, and has promised to do in our lives.
In fact, I love how the NIV translates what Mary does in these moments. It says she “treasured up and pondered all these things in her heart.” (Luke 2:19)
May you and I take time each day to think about all that God has done for us, building up our own treasures in our heart. For those little treasurers sure are a great help in those more challenging seasons or dark nights of the soul. So for now, treasure the coming of Jesus and never let Him go.
QUESTIONS
Luke 2:8-20
8 That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep.
9 Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, 10 but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. 11 The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! 12 And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.”
13 Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”
15 When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”
16 They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. 17 After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. 18 All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished, 19 but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often. 20 The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them.
I gotta tell you, when we talk about child-like wonder, this story with the angels and the shepherds speaks to it perhaps more than any other in the Christmas story.
In fact, I have often felt that the reason the angels came to the shepherds, instead of to the religious elite or the other rulers of the world, had to do with the child-like hearts of the shepherds, there openness to believe in the impossible. Night after night they stared at the stars in the sky and wondered what else was out there, who else was out there. On this night, they were shown as the veil that separates this world from the next was pulled wide open.
And here, as before, the angels have to assure the humans that there is nothing to be afraid of. Then they go on to tell them that they have good news to share. That term for good news is what we call gospel, and it wouldn’t just be good news for those shepherds that night, or just good news for the children of Israel, but good news for everyone who had ever lived, were living, or would live.
The news? The long awaited Messiah, the Savior and Lord, has come into the world in the way the prophecies foretold; in Bethlehem, the city of David. The king of the universe was lying in a manger, wrapped in swaddling clothes, completely dependent on those that he created to care for his every need. Oh the wonder of it all!
It’s hard to imagine the next scene; a vast army of angels filling the sky. Night must have become day in that moment, and though Luke says the angels said the next line, we all know they sang it… “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace and goodwill to men!” (that’s how I hear it in my head).
Finally, the Savior was here!
In all the commotion of these moments, I’ve always been drawn to the subtle line describing how Mary responded. It simply says, ‘Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often.” That’s what mom’s do. They watch over their children, they care for their every need, and the beem with joy, pride, and humility, that they get to raise them to become the people God created them to be. Of course, it’s a little different when the baby you’re beeping over is God, but still, it’s important for all of us to take moments where we step back and reflect on all the things that God has done, is doing, and has promised to do in our lives.
In fact, I love how the NIV translates what Mary does in these moments. It says she “treasured up and pondered all these things in her heart.” (Luke 2:19)
May you and I take time each day to think about all that God has done for us, building up our own treasures in our heart. For those little treasurers sure are a great help in those more challenging seasons or dark nights of the soul. So for now, treasure the coming of Jesus and never let Him go.
QUESTIONS
- Thinking back over the course of your life, what was one of the places/moments you worshipped like you’ve rarely worshipped before? What was so meaningful about it?
- As you think back over the life of your faith, what are some of the treasurers you hold onto that help you remember all that He has done?
- Pray today for a heart like a child, that you may be better prepared to see those moments when God pulls back the curtain between this world and the next
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