Great Joy

The part of the story of Christ's birth in the Bible that brings me to tears and touches me in a deep place is when some shepherds were out in the fields just doing their job and an angel appeared to them. Here they were just normal everyday guys and an angel comes to fill them in on the "good news".

"I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord."
Luke 2:10

The first time I heard (or at least paid attention to) that passage was when Linus quoted it in the Charlie Brown Christmas Special. I was a young girl and had no idea why it made me feel like I was going to cry. Somehow I knew in my heart that it was important and good news even for me.

Today I understand a little better that the "good news" the angel was talking about was that a Savior had come for them....and for me. There was a point in my life when I realized that the world was broken. I got to a place in my life when I realized that life did not look like I thought it would look. Sometimes we get to that place because of our own sin and choices and consequences. Sometimes we get to that place because others have hurt, abused, or abandoned us. Sometimes life just throws blows that we nor anyone else had any control over. A Savior came for us all, in all of our brokeness, in all of our frailty and in all of our disappointments and pain.

That passage still makes me cry. An angel showed up to tell some ordinary guys the best news ever. Their lives were never going to be the same. And neither will ours as we trust and hope in this Christ child who is the good news for all people!

I pray that this Christmas you will be overwhelmed by the news that a Savior has come for you. You will never hear better news than that!

Merry Christmas!
Angela

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pn10FF-FQfs