The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
~Psalm 27:1
As I spend time today reflecting on all the beautiful Christmas services we watched virtually last night, I am reminded we have nothing to fear. The One who is our light, our salvation and our stronghold has been born.
And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying,
“Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace among those whom he favors!”
When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.” So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them. ~Luke 2:7-20
It is this good news that the shepherds witnessed and the wise men traveled far to see and experience.
On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. ~Matthew 2:11
Seeing is believing. Believing is faith. The shepherds and the wise men were among the first believers in the goodness of the Lord. At Christmas, we see through their experiences the gift of God’s presence in our lives.
I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord
in the land of the living.
~Psalm 27:13
And so our wait for this year is over. Today we celebrate Christmas and the favor God bestows upon us. And by faith, we rejoice and give thanks for the courage our hearts can take because the goodness of the Lord is ours forever.
Wait for the Lord; be strong,
and let your heart take courage;
wait for the Lord!
~Psalm 27:14
Come Learn Rest Ministries 