Luke 2:8-14 (NRSV)
Read Luke 2:8-14 on biblegateway.com
Verse 8In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. Verse 9Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. Verse 10But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for see-I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: Verse 11to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. Verse 12This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger." Verse 13And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, Verse 14"Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!"
Devotion
Again we hear the announcement of God’s favor: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased.” The unsuspecting shepherds are the first to hear the gospel proclaimed in its fullness—“For to you this day is born a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” The message rings out to us here and now with the same immediacy, the same insistence: For to you the Savior comes. This is the truth that will claim us through good times and bad. It will fill the silence of the grave; it will call us out of death into life.
Prayer
Gracious God, we thank you for the gift of our Savior and pray that in word and deed we may join the heavenly host in praise and rejoicing. Amen.