December 25, 2020
Luke 2:15-16—Shepherds and Angels
“Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” Luke 2: 15b
“That was unbelievable!” said one.
“I’ve never seen or heard anything like it,” said another.
“We have to go to Bethlehem and see this thing that God has told us about” they agreed.
After walking some distance, the shepherds found themselves at a stable – a barn, in the city of Bethlehem.
Have you ever been in a barn? If they haven’t been cleaned
recently, they stink, and they are filled with a lot of things that are very dry and could catch fire easily. Plus, there is an “earthy” smell because of all the straw, hay, oats and milo.
When they entered the stable, they saw a man and a woman by a manger, a feeding trough for animals. And in the manger was a baby boy.
It doesn’t matter if you’re young or old, a baby gets everyone’s attention. And the birth of a baby, well, that alone is a miracle all by itself. But this one . . . this baby was someone – different. The experiences that night filled the shepherds with wonder.
“Who are these people? And, why are they here, in a stable, with this new born baby?” “This is the baby the angels told us about,” they thought. Some bowed their heads. Others got on their knees. “This child is someone very special,” they thought. “I wonder what’s going to happen to him?”
The miracle in the manger – for you and for me.
Prayer: Dear Father, we thank you for your wonderful gift that first Christmas night so long ago – for the child in the manger. Amen.
Jim Lester