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The deep, inky blue of the shepherds’ sky was awash in waves
rolling in on heaven's tide. Not waves made of water, nothing anyone could see, but something was coming, something profound was about to happen. As the shepherds kept uneasy watch, the
round soft shapes of the sheep showed pale in the starlight as they munched their way contentedly across the grassy
hills that rolled below.
The shepherds knew nothing of the
coming hosts, the angels who were riding the tide, riding to greet them, riding
the billows of history to make an announcement that would change everything.
No wonder then that the angel appointed to speak to them had to start where all angels start when they bring a message from God to the earth, "Fear not."
"And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people." Luke 2:10 KJV
Standing astride the sky-waves, just like
the One he came to herald would one day walk the waves of Galilee's stormy waters, this radiant angel, maybe Gabriel, brought the message he'd been commissioned to bring, and it was GOOD NEWS!! Good and glad tidings of joy for all!! What a message!! A birth, he said! A Savior, he said!! Something about this special baby lying in a manger, he said. What? Why would you put a baby in a . . . Before the shepherds could complete that thought or speak it out loud, the sky flashed bright as the tide-riding host of shining angels came into view. They sang as they flew, lifting a song of praise to give
"Glory to God in the highest," and to declare peace on earth, a gift from God in His good will toward men!
Glad tidings!
Great joy!
Good news!
God at peace with men!
The angels came in their robes of light to prepare earth to receive her wonderful King. He had always been King, the King of kings, and worthy of being OUR King long before He got here. As soon as the angels departed, the shepherds hurried to find their Messiah, the Promised One. They had been waiting for Him their whole lives and couldn't wait to see for themselves that He had really arrived at long last! They found Him just as the angel had described to them.
"After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child." Luke 2:17 NLT
The message delivered by that angel more than two thousand years ago is a message that is still alive and well today. We may not be angels, but we can all be messengers in concert with them, and with those excited shepherds who "told everyone." We can ride the waves of heaven's tide, ever bringing the glad tidings, sharing the good news, to everyone who hasn't heard. In a world jaded and worn with its own self-importance and feeling the grinding pain of its outrageous capacity for evil and rebellion, what message could matter more than the one where God offers us peace with Him through our faith in His glorious Son? May you know His good tidings in your own life this Christmas and may you share them far and wide with those who need to know.
How are you and your family finding ways to share the message of Christmas?
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