Advent Daily Devotional - Day 7

Luke 2:8-9 

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 

One of my favourite parts of Christmas Day is gathering together with my church family to celebrate together. I think because it is a day of such celebration and there’s a real sense of joy, it is just a brilliant time to be together.  

The children are buzzing from the multipack of chocolate that they’ve just ripped into and devoured before breakfast. They’ve got a present to show off that they opened just that morning (and so do I because I’m a child and I like showing off…), everyone is saying ‘Merry Christmas’ to each other and hugging. It’s just full of joy and fun and happiness. We get to sing carols together to celebrate Jesus, and there’s rarely a louder group singing carols than the church on Christmas Day! 

There’s something deeply moving and exciting about celebrating Jesus together, on His ‘Birthday’, and in the midst of it we get to encounter God together. 

When we look at our passage for today in Luke 2:8-9, we see that the shepherds are together on the hillside. Up until now in the Christmas story the Angel Gabriel had appeared to Mary & Joseph separately, but to a group of shepherds on a Bethlehem hillside, ‘an Angel of the Lord appeared to them and the glory of the Lord shone around them.’ 

They weren’t at the temple, offering sacrifices; they weren’t in the synagogue listening to scripture. They were just on the hillside, minding their own business, doing their jobs together, and God met them there. They were completely surprised and afraid. But when they understood the message, they were so eager to worship and then tell everyone. 

I love that God shows up when we’re together and sometimes unexpectedly, even in the most unlikely of places.  

This Christmas get ready to meet Jesus with others in the expected places; maybe as you head to church or other Christmas Carol events, invite Jesus to meet you there: in the songs, in a moment, through someone else, through His Word. 

But also, be ready and alert to other less obvious places He might show up.  Maybe at Christmas lunch, round the table. Why not pause just a little longer over grace, to make space for Him to show up. Or in the joy of opening presents with loved ones, don’t dive in, but watch others to see what God might be saying through those moments – see what He might have to show you. 

Questions 

When have I experienced God in an unexpected moment before? 

How can I make space to encounter Him with others this Christmas, in the expected and unlikely places? 

Today’s devotional was written by Dan Wells.