Receiving a Message

We get a lot of messages at Christmas.

I opened my mail box the other day and was bombarded with them.  Flyers advertised the latest sales.  Christmas cards shared greetings from friends and family.  Letters pleaded with us to give to various causes.  Newspapers told stories of Christmas events.

Even television inundates us with commercial messages about Christmas, letting us know when, where, and how to buy certain products.  The news programs tell us about the hottest gifts.  Christmas specials encourage us to buy more, spend more and give more.

It seems we get all sorts of messages this time of year.

The shepherds received a message that first Christmas too.  In Luke 2, we read that an angel of the Lord appeared to them and the glory of the Lord shown around them.  The event must have lit the sky brighter than any man-made bulb ever could.

The message that night had nothing to do with spectacular light displays, fabulous savings or amazing decorations.  It was about a little baby being born in Bethlehem that would one day restore our relationship with God.  Jesus, the Messiah, was born.

That was good news for believers in Jesus.  We know the gift we received.  We are spared death and have life in him.  We rejoice over his coming, worship his advent and eagerly await his return.

But not everyone was happy with this news.  In fact, for those who don't believe in Jesus, the message does not evoke joy but anger.  Those who reject Christ offer opposition and conflict.  That's the way it was 2,000 years ago and it's still that way today.

The message of Jesus is a great one, for those who believe.  Yet, for those who believe, it's also a call to arms.  You see, after hearing about Jesus, the shepherds went and saw him.  They were given a command to find Jesus and they did.  After that, they told everyone they saw about this message and this Messiah.  I'm sure some didn't believe and some might have been angry, but they still told the message.

We must do the same thing.  Though the world might be hostile to Christ, it is on us to share the message of Jesus this Christmas.  We must tell others what we saw and what we know so that they too can receive the message of Christmas - that the Messiah has come.

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