27 Dec, 2007
Did the shepherds exchange presents?
Do these shepherds look excited about telling others the incredible Good News of Christ?
Does the Good News of Christ's birth (part of God's Story) affect your life all year, or is it just part of a character you play at Christmas time?
photo courtesy images.google.com
Luke 2:8-20
The Shepherds and the Angels
8 And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. 10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,
14 “Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”
15 When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. 17 And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. 18 And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them. (ESV)
After reading today's God's Story scripture, how would you answer the following questions?
1) What do verses 15-16 tell you about the hearts of the shepherds? How did they give themselves to Christ, even though He was just a baby?
2) In verse 17, what did the shepherds do with this incredible supernatural experience? What motivated them to give away their faith?
3) In verse 20, you'll find that the story continues for the shepherds. What does the fact that they gave glory to God tell you about their faith?
4) How could the example of the shepherds help you experience Christmas year-round?
...the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. All who heard the shepherds' story were astonished...The shepherds went back to their fields and flocks, glorifying and praising God for what the angels had told them, and because they had seen the child...
How can we connect today's God's Story scripture to our lives?
- Praise God for sending His Son, your Saviour! Confess any way in which you have been keeping your faith in Christ to yourself. Ask God to show you the parts of your life that need to be turned over to His control. Ask Him to show you opportunities during the holidays for spreading the good news, just like the shepherds did. Spend a few minutes in quiet worship, just giving thanks and glory to God for what He has done in your life.
- During these holidays, ask God every day to give you a shepherd's heart of faith.
How can we connect today's story, God's Story scripture and our story to others?
- As you see friends, family and even strangers during these holidays, silently pray that they will experience the presence of Christ.
- In the next week, share the "good news" (God's Story) of how Christ has changed your life (your story) with someone God has given you the opportunity to learn their story. It might be someone from school or a family member or neighbor or someone with whom you work.
- November 2008 [13]
- October 2008 [22]
- September 2008 [22]
- August 2008 [19]
- July 2008 [22]
- June 2008 [13]
- May 2008 [20]
- April 2008 [22]
- March 2008 [21]
- February 2008 [19]
- January 2008 [20]
- December 2007 [19]
- November 2007 [16]
- October 2007 [20]
- September 2007 [18]
- August 2007 [12]
- July 2007 [12]
- June 2007 [10]
- May 2007 [12]
- April 2007 [10]
- March 2007 [11]
- February 2007 [14]
- January 2007 [7]
- December 2006 [4]
- November 2006 [13]
- October 2006 [17]
- September 2006 [11]
- August 2006 [16]
- July 2006 [11]
- June 2006 [3]
