Reading
In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth 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 heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!” When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.” (Luke 2: 8-15) Reflection “Fear not.” Those angels knew that their presence can sometimes be a little jarring for humans. So, they usually opened with a line that never fails: “Fear not.” Without hat opener, their audience might assume that they’re some kind of ghost or hallucination. So, the angels didn’t waste any time in letting the shepherds know that they were there to deliver good news. It could have been delivered in so many ways. God could have waited until newsreels were invented: a beeping RKO radio tower would signal that a headline was coming, and every theater audience would see black and white film footage of the new family. Shepherds would be looking on and hamming it up for the camera in the background. Or God could have delivered the news through the trustworthy demeanor of Walter Cronkite with a newsroom full of tickety-tickety typewriters in the background. “The savior of the world has been born, and that’s the way it is!” But in the loneliness of a quiet field, with a group of third shift shepherds talking to each other about who-knows-what, God sent an angel. And then a whole bunch of angels. A whole bunch of singing angels. Because if you really want somebody to remember something, breaking into song is a pretty good method. + --Sarah Hershberger Prayer Guide us by your Holy Spirit. Help us to heed your call in our lives. Help us to be peacemakers, as we serve you in our daily lives. Help us follow the example Christ set for us as we strive for justice and mercy on this earth. Amen. Our devotions are based on this Sunday’s Revised Common Lectionary (RCL). The RCL is a three-year cycle of readings telling the story of our Christian faith and corresponding to the season church calendar. On any given Sunday, we are hearing and praying and examining the same Scripture with millions of Christians around the world. In our current Year C, the Old Testament readings progress through the Prophets and have the theme of the day that it is connected to the Gospel reading. The Psalm, a song the congregation sings in response to the Old Testament reading, most often corresponds to the theme of the Hebrew Lessons and/or that of the Gospel Lesson. The lesson from the Epistles or from Acts typifies the church’s focus on the meaning of Christ for today. The Gospel lesson is connected to the season of the Church Year. This year, our gospel readings are from Luke, who writes that Jesus is the universal Savior and the perfect Son of Man. In the current season of Christmas focuses on God within our lives. Our devotions this year were developed to look at the parts of the nativity scene.
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