Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.”
NL Daily Devotion for Wednesday, December 25, 2024
by Vicar Wing Yin Li, Clergy Stuff
Main Idea: God brings light to those whom society has put in the dark and makes them into the light of the world that proclaims the good news of God’s salvation.
Luke 2:9 depicts a vivid picture of the shepherds’ encounter with God’s glory, illuminating the darkness of the night, long before the advent of electricity. The divine radiance does not envelop just the manger where Jesus Christ was born, but as the celestial angel meets the shepherds in the fields, the glory of God also shines around this group of workers who were often the unseen and the voiceless in society. The shepherds, who were toiling in the dark night, are at first taken aback by the arrival of God's messenger. The unexpected appearance of an angel and the brightness of the light startles and terrifies them. Not only is their routine disrupted, but their eyes which had been accustomed to the darkness also need to adjust to the bright light. However, as the angel assures them, this message from God is one that would ultimately bring them peace and joy.
For this Savior, Jesus Christ, was born specifically “to you [them],” the lowly and the unseen in the world (v.11); and he, who was wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger, would understand the plight of being the poor and the marginalized. God saw these shepherds when the world had placed them in the dark, and God met them right at where they stood and shed light into their lives. And not only did God bring light to their lives through the angelic announcement of Jesus’ birth, but God also made them into the light of world as they went on to share this good news with others (vv.17-18). Though these shepherds were unlikely to have received much education, it was through their mouths that God had chosen to share the salvific news with many. Today, God continues to speak through different communities. The message of Christ is not confined to the pulpit or the lecture hall, delivered by famous preachers and Christian scholars, but it can be found in the lowly and the unseen in society who have witnessed the light of God and experienced transformation in their lives.
