I Bring You Good News

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.  Luke 2:8-11

One of my favorite images of Christmas is that of the shepherds in the fields that night, maybe walking back and forth to stay awake and to make sure their sheep weren’t wandering off. I think of that dark sky and the crunch of dirt under their feet…the quiet that engulfed them on every side. They were just doing their job and then God showed up. Well, first an angel showed up and scared their socks off.

“I bring you good news!” the angel said. “Good news that will be give everyone great joy”—joy like they’d never known! Could they have imagined what this angel meant? That the hope of this world had just been born a mere walk away? I wonder if they gathered their sheep together and trooped through those sleepy Bethlehem streets to see the baby. Or if they assigned one of the younger shepherds to watch the flocks for them. “We’ll be right back!”

What I’m most struck by is how they ‘hurried off’ to see if what the angels had told them was true. They quickly dropped everything and went looking for the baby. And they found him. What a reminder to act immediately on what I believe rather than waiting or holding it inside.

♥

As I’m posting this, we are throwing the last minute things into our bags and heading off to the airport to see the family in Boise! I’m so grateful to be able to spend Christmas with my family this year. We haven’t all been together for the last three years, so this will be a treat! I hope you are able to make some precious memories with your own family and friends this year. I've pre-posted a little image for tomorrow morning but most likely I'll see you in the New Year!

We love to read Christmas stories during this time of year, and there are so many wonderful Christmas stories out there. Here are some of our favorites:


Christmas is Here-a sweet book about the meaning of Christmas
Corgiville Christmas—we had a corgi growing up (what a wonderful and sweet dog he was!) and we always loved Tasha Tudor’s drawings as children. I still do.
The Gift of the Magi—every time I read this, I choke up. I especially love Lisbeth Zwerger’s lovely watercolors