The old familiar story is best told by a little boy named Linus, who with blanket in hand quietly tells Charlie Brown what Christmas is all about. Can you hear his precious voice: “And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. “For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. “And this will be the sign to you; You will find the Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, 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, good will toward men!” So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, “Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.” Luke 2:8-15.
Did you hear your name mentioned? The angels weren’t just talking to the shepherds! They gave a message for us all: “Do not be afraid, for behold I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to ALL people” (Luke 2:9, emphasis mine!) Both you and me, being ‘people’ are part of the ‘all!’ The broken world had corruption at that time, sickness, pain, hurts, lies and death; but the message from the heavens to all the people: Glory to God of the heavens and on earth God wills peace and good’ toward men!’
Peace on earth and (being God is the only one that is good), God’s will on earth! Who are men ‘in God’s will?’ DON’T RUN AWAY! Hear the words of the angel: ‘Do not fear, I bring good news…’ God knows that none of us are ‘righteous’, (Rom. 3:10). God knows we all ‘fall short of the glory’ of God, (Romans 3:23). “Do not be afraid…” the angel said.
“If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” (1 John 1:8). God knows all this! And yet He sent the angel with a message for ALL the people: ‘I bring good news’, “For there is born to you this day…a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” (Luke 2:11). Peace and good-will are for all who ‘turn’ to God, moment by moment, with an awe and ‘fear’! For the ‘fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom!'(Proverbs 9:10, emphasis mine!)
Step by step, line upon line, precept upon precept…’Do not be afraid of the Good News of Christ!’ God wills that we have ‘peace on earth’. “This is the will of God,” Jesus said, “that you believe on Him whom the Father has sent.” (John 6:29).
Don’t let anyone or anything ‘steal, kill or destroy’ your peace. Embrace the King of Kings!
“The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together against the LORD, and against His anointed saying, “Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.”(Psalm 2:2,3). But, do you know what the King of Kings does with all of this? “He that sits in the heavens shall laugh; The LORD shall hold them in derision…”Yet I have set My King On My holy hill of Zion.” (Psalm 2:4,6).
God the Father sets the record straight: “I will declare the decree: The LORD has said to Me, “You are My Son, Today I have begotten You…” (Psalm 2:7).
Yes, we can know the ‘end of the story’ because the angels told us in the beginning, “Glory to God in the highest…”
He is the highest, He is the King of Kings! After all the kings of the earth rebel and wage war ‘against His anointed’ coming together ultimately in the ‘battle of Armageddon’, the Lord will establish His rule and reign on His ‘Holy Hill in Zion!’ We are the shepherds, we are ALL the people, when we choose to ‘behold’ the good-will of God and believe in Him whom He has sent!
“Now therefore be wise, O kings…” (Ps. 2:10) O, we know that we are not kings, but by believing,“…you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you our of darkness into His marvelous light;
who once were not a people, (much like the shepherds!), but are now the people of God who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.” (1 Peter 2:9).
“Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace and good-will to all men.” Can you hear the angels sing?
Today, if the ‘kings of the earth’ be not wise, we, a chosen generation…(maybe shepherds after all…) we will say together: “Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.”(Luke 2:15).
Let us be as the shepherds…
“Come let us adore Him.” Yes, we will. “Serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son…” (Psalm 2:11,12a). ‘Kiss the Son’, yes, we will: we will turn toward the King of Kings. We will worship Him and adore Him. We will express our appreciation that we have ‘obtained mercy’, we will give thanks that when we ‘confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins.” ( 1John 1:9). We will rejoice that we have been chosen to be his people! Yes, we will express devotion, and our love. We will adore Him, we will…
“Blessed are all that put their trust in Him.” (Ps. 2:12).
“Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they have heard and seen, as it was told them.” (Luke 2:20). This is the peace God wills for all – not for tomorrow, but for this day: “For there is born to you, THIS DAY, … a Savior!”
This day, we WILL worship and adore Him! And, THAT… is peace. And…
“This is what Christmas is all about Charlie Brown.”
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