In Luke 2 verse 16 we read, “So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph and the child lying in the manger. When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them.” 

   Think for a moment about these particular shepherds who were minding their own business, tending their flocks in the hills near Bethlehem, on a night that, unbeknownst to them, would change their lives forever. Imagine their shock and utter disbelief when out of nowhere an angel appears and suddenly they were encircled by the light of the glory of the Lord.

   Though the angel tells them not to be afraid, likely they were terrified, beside themselves with fear. Yet they did not miss the moment. They listened and received the “good news of great joy.” After the angels departed, they were dazed and more than just a little bewildered by what had happened.

   Yet the shepherds believed without question that God had chosen them to receive this extraordinary news. There was nothing tentative or fearful about these men of great, uncomplicated faith. Without a moment’s hesitation, they said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem!”

   These men were so much more than mere shepherds. They were men of God excited about seeing the long-awaited Messiah. They knew without question that it was urgent for them to go and see for themselves whether the good news announced by the angels was really true.

   In the time it took for the band of shepherds to travel the short distance to Bethlehem, we can easily imagine the questions prompted by their experience. Did they really see and hear angels? Why them? How could this be true? These were simple, yet courageous men whose hearts were filled with both anticipation and apprehension.

   They believed that they were about to see and experience something and someone whose life would change the world for all time. For the shepherds, being in the presence of this holy child, the light of the world, surpassed even the experience of angels and a multitude of the heavenly host. For in this newborn infant, and in this shining moment they experienced what it means to live in light.

   As with the shepherds, we live in light when we affirm in our heart the words of Psalm 56 verse 13, “For you have delivered my soul from death, and my feet from falling, so that I may walk before God in the light of life.” 

• We live in light when we are at peace.
• We live in light when we are comforted by the certainty that death is not the end.
• We live in light when we know that our shared light shines forever.
• We live in light when we celebrate the gifts of life and love in Christ.
• We live in light when we seek, find, and at last walk in glory of God's divine light.

   God is with us at Christmas to redeem us, to restore us, and to hold us in the communion of saints with the one we have loved and now grieve. As the light of God shines into our grief this Christmas, as children of light may we claim the gift of God’s love in the certainty that Emmanuel—the light and love of God’s eternal presence—is with us always.     
 

Light dawns for the righteous, and joy for the upright in heart.    
Psalm 97:11