An angel of the Lord appeared to some shepherds near Bethlehem. The shepherds were nearly scared out of their wits. The Scripture doesn’t say, but these men probably fell to the ground, not just because of the angel but because “the glory of the Lord shone around them.” The shepherds found themselves in the presence of the Almighty God. This was the same experience that happened after the Solomon’s temple was finished. The priests came out of the Holy of Holies and a great cloud filled the place. The priests could not stand to minister because “the Glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord”.
The angel, most likely Gabriel, said to those shepherds, “Do not be afraid, for I bring to you good news. I bring good news of great joy to you which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior which is Christ the Lord.” The angel spoke good news to them, for all people, even us. Gabriel had appeared to Mary with the good news that she would be the mother of Jesus. He appeared to Zacharias concerning the birth of John the Baptist. It was probably Gabriel who appeared to Joseph in a dream telling him that Mary’s child had been conceived of the Holy Spirit, that she would give birth to a son whose name would be Jesus, and that he would save his people from their sins. Every time Gabriel appeared to someone he delivered “good news”. Gabriel was one of several angels who could be called God’s good news angels”. In the case of Jesus’ birth what Gabriel brought was the best news ever.
That night the good news angel appeared to the shepherds the world was gripped in an extremely dark time. There had been no good news for hundreds of years. Today the world is still in a mess. But we have known about this good news for over two thousand years. The Savior which is Christ the Lord has been born. He still wants to save his people from their sins. This is good news for all the people in the world, in every country. Wherever you live if you are reading this please know that Jesus loves you so much that he died to save you from your sins. The good news is that if you believe in him as your Lord and as your Savior your sins can be forgiven, and you can have eternal life. Accept the message of Good News today.
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