The Birthday of a King: Christmas’ Good News (Luke 2:10-12)
“And the sky was bright with a holy light. 'Twas the birthday of a King.” – William Harold Neidlinger 🎄
Dear persistent performer,
Are you always watching your actions to get a reward? To be
on Santa’s Nice List, did young you strived hard?
That can really be tiring. It can feel hopeless at some
point when you realize you can’t do it all, for your strength isn’t enough. But
do you know the Hope of humanity? Do you know the reason for Christmas’ gaiety?
We’re taking a break from our journey from the beginning of
the Bible. If you’re following along this blog, you’re likely expecting
Leviticus to be next. We’ll have that next to this. Right now, think of this as
the holiday episode.
Luke 2:10-12 (Celina’s Version)
The angel said, “Fear
not, for lo,
Today, I bring you
good tidings:
All will be joyful
for a Savior is born
In the city of David,
great among kings.
He’s the awaited
Christ the Lord!
To you I will give
this harbinger:
You will find a Baby
wrapped in cloths
And lying in a stable
manger.”
|
| God's angel proclaiming the birth of Jesus to shepherds (created in Animal Crossing: New Horizons) |
At first, I wanted to include the whole narrative of Jesus’
birthday. For those who want to read it, go to Matthew 1:18-25 and Luke 2:1-20.
I’d like for this post to focus on these three verses above, for I believe they
concisely introduce the gospel.
Let’s start with verse 10: “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 (NASB).” This angel is talking to the shepherds in the same
region where Christ was born. During that time, shepherds held a low position
in society
From the unexpected gesture of announcing to shepherds, we
see God doesn’t require us to be qualified in order to be part of His kingdom.
The good news of Baby Jesus spread through ordinary shepherds.
I can relate to this because I consider myself worthless
apart from God. Who am I to write these things and try to promote to the world
the King of kings? My younger self didn’t think that I had the right to speak
or that my voice needed to be heard. I have liked writing ever since I started journaling as a child, but
I didn’t see this as a career to pursue, and yet, here I am. I’m doing this
blog as my ministry, though, not as my means of living. God put it in my heart
to write for Him. I’ve been writing poems for leisure since college starting in
2011. Only God was my audience. On 2020’s Easter Sunday, He put a light bulb
over my head, but its glow didn’t last: I had this idea for a poetry book. I
wrote 8 chapters, and then I quitted. By the way, our passage today is a
glimpse of that book, but I made a few changes so that it would truly state
what’s in the Scriptures. This year 2021, the bulb lit up again, but this time,
it brightly shone this idea of blogging about God’s Word.
Every gospel sharer has this one essential message: Jesus is
the Savior. It can actually be shortened to one word, Jesus, which means
“Jehovah is salvation”
Our final verse says, “And this will be the sign to you: You
will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.” From the
beginning of His earthly life, He was humble. He was the Son of God Most High, yet
His first dwelling was a stable
If He's not your God, what are you living for? I
believe in every human, there’s a search for meaning, and seeing the vanity of
life could weigh one down. In Ecclesiastes, King Solomon tried to find
fulfillment from science, philosophy, wealth, and perhaps everything under the
sun. In the end, he concluded that the whole duty of man is to fear God and follow
His commandments. There it is—another burden, keeping the law. You depend on
yourself to make sure you don’t violate it. If righteousness is based on deeds,
Christ came and died for nothing. Once you understand the gospel, you know that
you’re free from the law’s curse, sin, when Jesus is your Lord. He has
fulfilled the law. In Him is forgiveness; in Him is redemption. Nailed with Him
on the cross is the world’s sin collection.
Think one grand luxury could be the greatest present? I
believe it’s God lifting up our load. We don’t need another thing to live an
abundant life. Let go of everything, and hold on to Jesus as your only Treasure.
He’s the Reward we don’t work after for, yet He’s the Reason that in life we
put in more. We go the extra mile to share His love. We do our best for the
glory of God above.
Merry Christmas!
With love,
Celina <3
References
Alcorn, R. (2008, March 11). Shepherd's Status.
Retrieved from EPM.org: https://www.epm.org/resources/2008/Mar/11/shepherds-status/
Associates for Biblical Research. (1995). Was
Jesus born in a stable? a cave? a barn? Retrieved from
ChristianAnswers.Net: https://christiananswers.net/q-abr/abr-a012.html
Lockyer, H. (1988). Joshua, Jehoshua, Jehoshuah,
Jeshua, Jesus. Retrieved from Bible Gateway:
https://www.biblegateway.com/resources/all-men-bible/Joshua-Jehoshua-Jehoshuah
Comments
Post a Comment