Daily Advent ~ Dec. 17th

Tuesday, December 17th

Advent 2013

Old Testament: "He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears; but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked. Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the sash around his waist." Isaiah 11:3b-5

New Testament: "And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.'" Luke 2:8-10

This segment of the narrative about Jesus' birth is one of my favorite. I have always loved how humble the events of Jesus' birth take place. God chooses a young girl and a young boy to parent his only begotten Son. Jesus is born in a lowly manger, on the out-skirts of town. He does not have a kings birth and is not surrounded by instant fame.

Still, God is a proud Papa who is compelled to make one tiny birth announcement.

I've often imagined what it would have been like for these shepherds, low-class of society, outside of town, there in the dark, probably half-asleep. Their eyes were adjusted to see in the dark and then suddenly an angel appears. I like how Luke writes that the glory of the Lord shone around them- the shepherds. God's glory is all-encompassing, of not just the angel, but everyone in it's path. As is so often the case, the angel tells the shepherds, "do not be afraid." These poor guys are probably blind trying to adjust their vision. The angel tells the shepherds that he has good news. Yay! Tomorrow, we'll read what good news the angel came to proclaim!