Monday, December 16

December 16th, 2024
by Emma Crawford

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 that will cause great joy for all the people.
Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you;
he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you:
You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” - Luke 2:8-12

The first people to be told of the Christ Child’s birth were shepherds. Shepherds,
considered to be dirty, smelly and most likely uneducated men. Men, who
definitely were not included in “polite society”. To these men the angels appeared
and invited them, the shepherds to go and see the baby, the Messiah. The angels
did not go to the elite of society, the king, the priests, the rich and educated. They
went to humble men to announce the birth of our Lord, the Messiah.

How it makes my heart swell to know that our Heavenly Father invites the lowly,
the humble, the sinners, those of us who are not perfect to come to Him and give
our hearts to Him. The shepherds knelt before Him in awe and adoration and knew
in their hearts that Mary’s baby was the Messiah, the Savior of mankind.

Oh, if only people of today could have the same awe and adoration of our Lord as
those “lowly” shepherds. How blessed those lowly shepherds were to be the first to
behold our Lord, our Savior the Messiah.

Emma Crawford

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