Great Joy for All People

Great Joy for All People

Shepherds

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Luke 2:8-20

Devotional

It was a simple night. A common night. We sing songs about it. “Silent night, holy night. All is calm, all is bright.” I can imagine for the shepherds this was just another night on the job, staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night. It was a night just like all other nights.

Until it wasn’t.

“An angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them.”

and.  they.  were.  terrified.

That’s pretty much the typical response when God’s glory shows up in any form. Complete and utter fear.

Luke doesn’t tell us exactly why the shepherds were afraid, and it might have been more than one reason.

The shock of God’s glory breaking into real life is enough to fill anyone with great fear.

The feeling of being completely seen by a Holy God, exposed, vulnerable, unable to hide causes the most put together among us to be filled with great fear.

The reality of deserved and potential coming judgement fills the most confident hearts with great fear.

Whether they fully understood what was happening or not, what man can stand before the glory of the living God and live?

The glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear.

And what was God’s response to the shepherd’s great fear?

Do not be afraid.

The angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”

How could the shepherds stand before the glory of the living God and live?

A Savior had come.

God could have left them in their shock as the reality of their unworthiness left them feeling vulnerable and exposed. But instead, the Father sent His Son as Savior, removing their great fear and filling them with great joy.

Try to imagine the relief they must have felt as great fear gave way to great joy. Left in their fear, they would have run away and hid from God. But as their fears melted away, their joy caused them to move towards their Savior.

“Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.”

Advent invites us to make the same move, from fear that causes us to hide to joy that draws us near.

Today, what are the causes of great fear in your life? Hear the good news of the gospel! The Father has sent His Son to be the Savior of His people! Today, there is still good news of great joy that drives fear away and draws us to the Lord. A Savior has been born, who is Christ the Lord.

Reflection Questions

1.    Where does God’s holiness expose fear in me, the same way His glory terrified the shepherds?

2.    What part of the gospel, the announcement of the Savior, do I need to believe again so that fear is replaced with the joy God offers?

3.    What step toward Jesus am I resisting, even though the good news calls me to come and see Him for myself?

Prayer

Father,

You are holy, and Your glory reveals what is true in us. Like the shepherds, we confess that Your nearness can expose our fears and our weakness. Yet we thank You that Your answer to fearful people is not judgment, but good news. You sent a Savior. You sent Christ the Lord.

Help us believe the gospel the way they did. Let the truth of who Jesus is quiet our fears and awaken real joy in our hearts. Teach us to trust that the Savior who came into the world came for us, and that His presence turns fear into confidence and uncertainty into hope.

Give us the courage to move toward Your Son the way the shepherds moved toward Him. When we hesitate, steady us with the truth of Your Word. When fear rises again, remind us that Jesus is our Savior and that no word from You will ever fail.

Fill us with the joy that comes from seeing Christ clearly. And as You did with the shepherds, send us back into our ordinary lives with worship in our hearts and the good news on our lips.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.