Dearly Beloved in Christ, Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
“Fear not for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the peoples. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a savior, who is Christ the Lord” Luke: 2:10-11
The announcement of the birth of Christ came to shepherds, the hard workers, those who the society needed but didn’t consider important. They were next to the last on the scale of occupational work. They were the insignificant, but to them, and not to the king, to those in power nor to the rich or famous -the angel come. What was the Christmas Word given to the strugglers of the world? What is the Christmas Word to us?
a) We matter, each of us is loved. God came to the world in a baby to show that he is love. The announcement of the birth came to those who were considered unlovely shepherds lonely people who carried out their difficult work in relative obscurity. They wondered whether anybody really noticed them anybody cared about them whether any one worried over them. But the angel came to them and tried to let them know that God cared, that God noticed, that God worried over them, that they mattered to him. I bring you good tiding of great joy. Unto you is born, a savior, Christ the Lord. Do you ever wonder if anybody notices you? Do you matter to anyone? Does nobody cares about you. Listen to the angels song'” unto you is born this day a savior, Unto you. God loved you so much that he came down to this earth, in the form of Christ ultimately to climb a cross to die for our sins. That is how much you matter of God. The angles song is an announcement that you are known by God, that you matter to God. Although no one else may see or hear or care for you, the God who made it all does notice and does care.
b) The angels song; life has meaning because God is in it. These shepherds wondered a lot about life. They had a lot of time to sit around the fire and meditate. They wondered what they were here for, and what was the purpose of their lives, what was going to happen in the end? Suddenly the angel came and sang a song that God had come in to life itself. What a difference that made not only did these shepherds learn that they mattered; they also learn that the life mattered. It was Gods life and God cared about it. God was no longer distant; He was immersed in the middle of life, trying to bring out of it what he wanted. Life is not insane. It has meaning and purpose. If we unite ourselves with God we will find the hope of it. We will able to laugh a little bit more because we will see that whatever we do if we done in service to Christ is worthwhile, it will not be in vain. That is what the angel said, we matter what we do matter
c) The angels song said that faith matters is not in vain. Were Jewish folks with a rich religious heritage. They had worshiped, they had carried out the sacrifices and rituals. They longed for the coming of messiah. They were Gods chosen people but they were oppressed and suffering. They were god’s chosen people but their faith didn’t seem to do them that their faith was right. That the values they were living by -honesty and integrity, and justice and righteousness and love were the right values. They were the values that one day would triumph. They were the values that would bring them life, abundant and eternal. The shepherds had their faith affirmed in the song of the angels. This is what Christmas tries to tell us “Today Christ is born”. He still is and always will be. In all that we have to deal with. We have the truth walking alongside us. Christ is born and our faith is not in vain.
So hear the angel’s song that God is with us. We can listen to the angels song with new hope. Christ has been bom, He has come for us. So there is always joy and hope because Christ is born forever.
Wish you all a happy Christmas and a prosperous New Year
May God Almighty Bless us All
Sajiachen