God Visited Earth

On that first Christmas night the Bible tells us about the angel coming to those fearful shepherds and saying, “Fear not, I bring you good news.” What is the real meaning of that good news?

During World War II, many a mother would take her son and try to keep the memory of the father who was away at war in the memory of that boy. And one mother I heard about took her son every day into the bedroom and showed him large portrait of the father who was away. One day the little boy said to his mother, “Mom, wouldn’t it be great if Dad could just step out of the frame?”

That’s what happened that first Christmas.

For centuries man has looked into the heavens longing for God to step out of the frame, and at Bethlehem that’s exactly what God did. Incredible and unbelievable as it may appear to a modern man, the Bible teaches that Jesus Christ was a visitor from Heaven itself. He was God Incarnate.

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. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” — Luke 2:8–12

No Ordinary Sheep

Those were no ordinary sheep…

no common flocks,

huddled in sleep

among the fields,

the layered rocks,

near Bethlehem

That Night;

but those

selected for the Temple sacrifice:

theirs to atone

for sins

they had not done.

How right

the angels should appear

to them

That Night.

Those were no usual shepherds there,

but outcast shepherds

whose unusual care

of special sheep

made it impossible to keep

Rabbinic law,

which therefore banned them.

How right

the angels should appear

to them

That Night.

—Ruth Bell Graham’s Collected Poems

Excerpted with permission from The Cradle, Cross, and the Crown by Billy Graham, copyright Thomas Nelson, 2014.

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Your Turn

God visited earth in the flesh! Good News! In the middle of the war here on earth, the battle between good and evil, God Himself was born of a virgin — a completely unexpected move! Praise Him! Come join the conversation on our blog! We would love to hear from you! ~ Devotionals Daily