FROM TODAY’S READING (12/22/2021)…
CHRISTMAS THOTS…
“How we all would like to have been there—to be a fly on the ear of one of the shepherds’ sheep. But actually, though the choir in Heaven played a major role, we on earth have the best part because we are the ones who receive God’s grace. God became a man, not an angel. God redeemed us, not angels. Ours is the best part, and we will praise God for it for all eternity.”
R. Kent Hughes
“Luke, volume 1”
Luke 2:8-14 (NLT) That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.”
Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying, “Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”
Image: CC (flickr.com/Dennis Jarvis)
