“The angel said to the shepherds: "And this will be a sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger." (Luke 2:12)
Tre are many “signs” of this season: there’s the bright lights, the festive decorations, the cheerful music…. and on and on and on. And they are all enjoyable parts of the celebration. But it’s possible for these “signs” distract us rather than focus us on the meaning of the season. We can end up missing the true sign of the season if we get distracted by the festivities and noise.
We live in a social setup where we are are all guided by signs in our every day life. Traffic signs are everywhere. We pay attention to stop signs, and yield signs, and sometimes speed limit signs. These are there to serve several purposes, number one is safety for all, then they make our lives efficient and easier when there is some order to things. Many people follow the zodiac signs, - gemini, scorpio, pisces, cancer, taurus. Astrological signs are just concepts with no scientific evidence behind them. Most people ignore them.
There are nature’s signs and there are bodily signs. Hunger, and thirst, Signs of old age and sickness.
There are signs for churches and other organizations. When we see the cross on a building, we know it may be a church, or when we see the big M, we know there is a McDonalds nearby, so on and on. Signs are everywhere ingrained in our lives as a part. We follow them, without paying much deeper attention to them. Our dogs and cats alert us with signs for their needs or even some dangers like bear or animals in the backyard. There are medical signs that are usually called 'vital signs', which give the medicacl professional about the state of health of a person.
The shepherds were given a sign to to get up and go see the baby.
Signs make us live better, safer and more efficient life style. So we follow signs. Scripture says that God used a literal “sign” to get His message across. The angels announcing the birth of Jesus gave the shepherds a sign. It was a sign that they will see a baby in a manger. That's what the birth of Jesus means. It is a sign that. God meets us in our pain and loneliness. God meets us in our frustration. God meets us in our daily lives, every day Monday and Wednesday and Friday. God is wanting to be a part of our lives every day. I think that's why God sent the angels to the shepherds - You don't have to be any special for God to be with you.
The Sign was the promise of a brighter future. It was a sign for them to leave the past behind and not dwell on the past, but to focus on the present. Many times we remember the good times spent with family in previous years to regret that we cannot do it anymore. But dwelling on the past, will end up with tears and sadness. Instead, we can learn to turn my thoughts to the present and focus on how much God is blessing us right now. A another older man said, well, “I live alone in a nice place, a grocery delivery service has started in my area, I go to the senior center for lunch a few days a week, and I have time to be with God and time to write. I am blessed .”
“See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” - Isaiah 43:18-19 (NIV). So instead of pining for the past, we can focus on the present and anticipate the future, knowing that the Christ of Bethlehem is with me and brings blessings day by day. We can enjoy the present when we begin to name the blessings God has given us today. It is a never-ending list that can bring us the joy of the Christmas season.
It was a sign that everyone is important to God
we are reminded that Jesus came for people like the shepherds. The shepherds - not the religious elite, the politically savvy, or the rulers of the people - become the metaphor for the kind of people Jesus came to save. Listen to the power of the text: The birth of this child is about God coming to us in our everyday lives and saying to us, "Don't be afraid, for look, I proclaim to you good news."
Christmas is a sign to let us know that this child was for all people, even the most ordinary.
Even when we feel lonely and isolated, not being noticed or cared for as we would like to, the good news has arrived that God cares for each one of us. The Lord who created you says, “Do not be afraid—I will save you. I have called you by name—you are mine.” Isaiah 43:1
A missionary team from the US that had been invited to Russia to teach Christianity. It was Christmastime, and as they taught the story of Christ’s birth at an orphanage, everyone listened in amazement. They taught them story of Jesus being born in a manger, the shepherds coming to visit him and angels singing glory to god. None of the kids or the staff had ever heard it before. One of the missionaries wrote: "We gave the children some materials and instructed them to create the manger scene that they had just heard about. All went well until I got to one table where little Misha sat; he looked to be about 6 years old and had finished his project. As I looked at the little boy’s manger, I was startled to see not one, but two babies in the manger. I called for a translator to ask why. Looking at his completed manger scene, the child began to repeat the story accurately, until he came to the part where Mary put the baby Jesus in the manger. Then Misha started to add his own ending to the story. "He said, ’And when Mary laid the baby in the manger, Jesus looked at me and asked me if I had a place to stay. I told him I have no mama and no papa, so I don’t have any place to stay. Then Jesus told me I could stay with him. So I got into the manger, and then Jesus looked at me and he told me I could stay with him forever.’ "Putting his hand over his face, Misha’s head dropped to the table and his shoulders shook as he sobbed and sobbed. Misha was rescued from an abusive home by the orphanage. That night he knew what love is like when he drew a picture of himself sleeping with the baby Jesus in the manger. He had found someone who would never abandon nor abuse him, someone who would stay with him forever.
Christmas message is a sign of transformation.
They were not the same when they returned after seeing the baby. So were the wise men. When we see the baby in the manger, the sign points to transformation. In our lives, in our society and our culture that there is good tidings of great joy in the midst of cold winter night after hard days of work
We love to have friends and family around for Christmas. But the greater celebration is that God in Christ came to be with each of us so that we are never alone. That's what the birth of Jesus means. It is a sign that God meets us in our pain and loneliness. God meets us in our frustration and anger.
God meeting us in our daily lives, every day Monday and Wednesday and Friday and all days of the week. God wanting to be a part of our lives every day. I think that's why God sent the angels to the shepherds - to let us know that this child was for all people, even the most ordinary.
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