After Joseph and Mary’s journey to the city of David to be registered, the time came for Mary to give birth, and she delivered there her firstborn Son, the baby Jesus. Shepherds were out in the fields, watching over their flocks by night. The Angel of the Lord appeared to them with the glory of the Lord, and they were terrified. The Angel declared, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger” (Luke 2.10-12). Suddenly, the angel was joined by a multitude of the heavenly host who praised God together, saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” (Luke 2.13-14).

On hearing the announcement of Jesus’s birth, the shepherds went to Bethlehem to see what the Lord had made known to them. There they found Mary and Joseph, and Jesus the baby lying in a manger, and later they testified of the angel’s saying concerning the child. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had seen and heard concerning the child, just as the angel told them. Good news to the world has come through the baby born to Mary that night, our Savior, Jesus the Lord.

Of all the different kinds of people who could have received the angelic announcement of the birth of the King of kings, God revealed his Son to lowly shepherds. As a class they were not considered favored or important; they lived outside, they faced predators, they were in danger, exhausted, and underestimated. Yet, God decided to reveal his Son to these lowly peasants.

Humble us, O God, in such a way that you are able to work in and through us, that you may reveal your Son to us, and use us to testify, as the shepherds did, of the infant Savior. Amen.

“A theology of worship must consider key themes such as revelation, redemption, God’s covenant with Israel and the call for his people to live as a distinct and separate nation. Once the connection between worship and these themes is established and traced through to the New Testament, the distinctiveness of biblical teaching emerges. This becomes even clearer when biblical perspectives are compared with pagan thinking and practice in the ancient world.”

~ David G. Peterson, Engaging with God: A Biblical Theology of Worship. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1992. pp. 23-24.

Let God Arise! Seasonal Focus
Christ the Savior Is Born, Luke 2.8-20

Book Reading
Peterson, Engaging with God