Daily Devotional | A Day of Rejoicing

One of my grandmother’s earliest memories was of the day World War 1 ended. When the newspapers published the news, she recounted, people ran out into the streets banging pots and pans to celebrate the end of that long, bloody war. This was good news that was worth dropping everything to celebrate!

Today we are celebrating the very best news! The birth of Jesus demonstrates God’s love for us in a profound way. While Jesus was born into humble circumstances, He did have some fanfare at His arrival. An angel of the Lord appeared to shepherds working the night shift and declared, “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” (vv. 10–11). Israel had been longing for the coming of the Messiah for generations. Had the time finally come?

The declaration of the angel was followed by a great host of angels praising God to mark the momentous occasion (vv. 13–14). The shepherds “hurried off” to find Mary, Joseph, and the baby (v. 16). Upon seeing Him they had two responses. The first was to worship God (v. 20). They celebrated the fact that God had kept His promise of sending a Savior. They celebrated the hope that Jesus embodied. Their second response was to tell others the good news. Luke tells us, “When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child” (v. 18). They had a new purpose to fulfill.

>> Merry Christmas from your friends at Today in the Word! We join you in celebrating the birth of Jesus, our Lord and Savior: “Joy to the world! The Lord is come. Let earth receive her King!” As we rejoice in this momentous day, we look forward to Christ’s return!