Saturday, December 24, 2011
Luke 2:20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.
JOY!
The day of celebration is at hand, whether it happens for us to be "at last" or "already!" All of the elements of our celebration come together on Christmas Day and the Eve before. The Word, spoken and sung, the gifts, the gatherings, the food, the visiting, the laughter, the love, the deep, deep joy!
The shepherds too were celebrating through the night as they spread the word about their new Child, born to them that very day! What amazement filled the hearts of all that lineage of David, gathered because of a Roman decree! But the shepherds still did not become a part of those reunions in Bethlehem. They had to get back to their flocks. And even as the celebration begins, we too know that it will soon be over, and we will be returning to our daily routines. Should that diminish our joy?
It did not do so for the shepherds! Even as they returned to their baas and bleating, they were still glorifying and praising God for all that He had done! What He had done was to give them a future and a sure hope that would shine like a patient beacon before them for the rest of their lives.
And so it is for us also. The "exodus" which that new-born King would one day accomplish in Jerusalem shines before us to give daily direction and purpose to our lives. What a patient joy that brings!
Ye shall and must at last prevail;
God's own ye are, ye cannot fail.
To God forever sing your praise
With joy and patience all your days.
