Merry Christmas!

Shadilay! I hope you are doing well and this finds you in the best situation you could ever hope for as we finish out 2023 and the holiday season. That being said, I fully understand we are living through tough times and there are many rough situations out there. I pray that the Lord blesses everyone with a fresh outpouring of His peace, hope, grace, favor, mercy, love, etc. in 2024!

Due to the Christmas holiday, recognizing many will be busy this weekend, I decided to forego this week’s publication on the Q drops and provide a little story of hope that can give us what we need to continue forward, regardless of where we find ourselves. I do have a publication planned for 12/30/2023 and we will continue 2024 strong with weekly publications every Saturday!

Today I want to share the true meaning of Christmas as found in the Bible, some commentary I remember reading / receiving from the years, and whatever thoughts come to me through the Spirit as I compile the former elements. For clarity, I will place the verses in bold, with the commentary / thoughts in regular font.

[Luke 2:8-15 NKJV]
8 Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night.
To get proper context of this story, we must recognize who received the story. Outside of the primary participants (e.g. Mary, Joseph), the Lord chose to make the good news known first to shepherds. If you study the Biblical timeline, you will see that shepherds were considered one of the lowest classes in society. After the fall, we see “Abel was a keeper of sheep” (Genesis 4:2). By the end of Genesis we see, that “every shepherd is an abomination to the Egyptians” (Genesis 46:34). Therefore, the significance of who received the story verifies the good news is for everyone!

9 And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid.
There are many examples in the Bible where the effects of being in the presence of God is shown. When Moses came down from talking with God on Mount Sinai his face shined brightly. Here we see the glory of the Lord shining around the angels. In verse 8 above, we know the angels appeared in the field at night. In the book of Revelation it states heaven has “no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it” (Revelation 21:23). Therefore, it is no wonder the shepherds were greatly afraid when this happened! Imagine being in the middle of a field, on a night like any other, void of light pollution, and suddenly having the place lit up by angels illuminated by the glory of the Lord!

10 Then the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people.
Here the angels confirm the good news (and the great joy that comes with it) is for all people. Jesus confirms this when He says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved” (John 3:16-17). There is no one living today that cannot humble themselves and receive salvation through Jesus Christ. However, humility is a great challenge for those overflowing with the pride that the world offers.

11 "For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
What was the good news? God’s master plan to save the world was moving forward, through Christ being born, fulfilling many future proves past prophecies that were previously given throughout the Old Testament. The Gospel of John describes the significance of this event perfectly. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it (John 1:1-5). “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).

12 "And this [will be] the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger." 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: 14 "Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!"
The angels didn’t simply provide a story, they provided the sauce to back it up. The news was so good, angels in heaven cried out, praising God and giving Him the glory for what was taking place. Remember, all praise, honor, and glory is His! No matter what, whether angels or humans, we are simply vessels for His divine will. Things always get off track when His praise, honor, and glory is misplaced. Want to know why the world is the way it is? This is the answer. We have collectively misplaced His praise, honor, and glory, heaping it upon ourselves, idols, and false gods. Ask Peter how quickly he started to sink when he lost focus from the One who saves when he was in the midst of the storm!

15 So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, "Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us."
The news struck the shepherds as so good, they took local action. Through hearing the Truth, the shepherds were called to have their lives radically changed forever, by pursuing the Savior. The journey would be long and hard, but it would be worth it!

Merry Christmas, much love, and God bless!