“If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which he hath testified of his Son…that God hath given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.”
1 John 5
It may seem like a strange Christmas connection I would like to point out something about the work of the herald angels. What was the point in angels appearing to shepherds and proclaiming peace on earth and goodwill toward men?
From the perspective of the world at large, these unnamed shepherds were nobodies. However, shepherds hold a special place in God’s heart. In fact, when God sought a man after his own heart, to be king of Israel, he chose a shepherd. Jesus is portrayed as the Good Shepherd, seeking the lost sheep, who has wandered away and become lost in a hostile world.
The point I wish to make here is that nothing God does is random or pointless. God did not choose you by chance, you are adopted by his choice of love and the life he has given you is neither pointless nor without extreme worth. He is the shepherd of your soul, leading you into his life and light.
The second thing to notice is that the angels came to announce something. What they had to say was essentially this, “God has done something unprecedented and wonderful. Here’s how to find it.”
Jesus is God’s peace incarnate upon the earth. He is a sign of God’s goodwill and salvation for the wayward sheep all over the world. The angel’s proclamation is the record of what God had just done—the everlasting salvation that he just made possible.
The angels did not point to following your conscience, or your personal version of the truth, or a political agenda. They pointed to a Life unlike any other—the source of all life. The angels were not giving advice, they were pointing to God’s plan and the divine testimony that it was true.
You receive the gift of God and have life, or you reject it and shun the God-life that is in him. You can only do one or the other. There is no other choice.
Maranatha
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