Christmas in HD: “While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks by Night…”
The Christmas story is without a doubt Quite. A. Story!
A familiar story. A profound story. An oft-repeated story.
So familiar is this story that I really do not need to comment on it.
Or do I?
As you will hear in this PODCAST, the principal parts of the story are well-known. The principal players in this biblical drama are names everyone has heard — Mary, Joseph, Jesus.
Yet, with all of that familiarity, there is one little tidbit of information — one word, really — that absolutely jumps off the page at me.
- One word that puts the entire Christmas story into its proper perspective.
- One word that goes straight to the heart of who Jesus was, who God is, what the Gospel is all about.
- One word that goes straight to the heart of who we are.
One word…
6 And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. 7 She gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them.
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.”
So, What’s the word that strikes me like no other? What’s the one word that I find absolutely stunning?
“Shepherds”.
Listen to this week’s podcast and learn why!
Oh… and Merry Christmas!