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Luke 2
The Shepherds
8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them," Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."
13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
14 "Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests."
15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."
16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.
Somewhere along the way of these Christmas ponderings, I skipped this section and leaped to Mary pondering things in her heart (December 23). So today we backtrack a little and pick up with the shepherds story more fully.
The text tells us, "The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told" (2:20).
Is praise of God at the center of your life? Do you faithfully praise and give thanks for the blessings and bounty of your life? There's not a one of us, whatever the challenges and difficulties we're facing, who hasn't, like the shepherds, heard and seen a lot for which to be thankful! Life may not be perfect, but it is good. Life may not be all you want it to be, but there are still many blessings in your life.
The late Henri Nouwen in his book, Gracias! wrote of a discovery he made while living among the poor of South America. He said:
"In many of the families I visited nothing was certain, nothing was secure. MAYBE there would be food tomorrow, MAYBE there would be work tomorrow, MAYBE there would be no sickness tomorrow.... maybe not. But whatever came to these people, they still greeted life with joy, and with 'Gracias!' What I presumed from God as my rightful claim, my friends in Peru and Bolivia received as a precious gift. What I treated as commonplace was for them a joyful surprise. What I trivialized as ordinary, they celebrated with reverence and said, 'Gracias!' And slowly I learned what I had all but forgotten and dismissed: ALL is grace! ALL is God's gift! Light and water, shelter and food, a smile and a hug, work and leisure, pain and shadows, children, parents, grandparents, birth and death....they are all given to us freely by the God of love in Jesus Christ. And so I lived and prayed my 'Gracias! Gracias a Dios! Thank you, God!"
I hope during this Christmastide season you become a person of unwavering praise...thanking God not just for the birth of Jesus Christ, but also for the many countless ways His grace and His love make a difference in your life. Gracious a Dios ought to be the first words we speak in the morning and the last words we speak at night!!
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