Good News Of Great Joy

Luke 2:10-14 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people."

"For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.”

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 among those with whom he is pleased!”

After Jesus was born, while he was still in the manger, an angel appeared to a group of shepherds. At that time, shepherds were not looked upon in a positive manner. They were considered unclean, and they were not considered viable witnesses in a court of law. Because of this, it’s important to note that the news of Jesus’ birth was given first to the lowliest of people.

This is a great truth, but there is a more important point that must be made. These shepherds were special. They were the keepers of sacrificial lambs. This is the reason that they were “in the fields nearby.” It is important to know this because Jesus, the Lamb of God, was born. Catch the significance of this statement:

"The keepers of the sacrificial lambs were the first ones to hear of the birth of Christ."

With the announcement of the birth, the angels burst into song, and the heavens opened to reveal their joy. The text gives the impression that the angels words were spoken:

“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace and goodwill towards men.”

Even if they were, the cadence of this message had to have been melodious. The birth of Christ was unprecedented and heaven being visible from earth was amazingly rare.

However the message was vocalized, the news was the most significant news in history. The meaning of Christmas was explained throughout the heavenly hosts who praised God.

The shepherds could have sat back and thought, “Cool, we just saw angels.” They could have debated over the meaning of the words, or felt pride in being the ones who got to see the heavens opened up. They could have decided that their own sacrificial sheep were more important than the Lamb of God. But for them the news was a call to action.

“Let’s go to town, because we have to see what the angels have proclaimed.”

Their response gives us a clue as to how we can receive God’s good will. We must take action by personally responding to the Prince of Peace.

Who will you tell today the Good News?

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