Starting up this blog again as a way to keep track of thoughts.
Scripture today:
Luke 2:8-14
And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. 10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,
14 “Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”
So the other day I saw a meme talking about how in Old Testament times lambs that were unblemished would be wrapped up and placed in a manger for safe keeping.
So when the shepherds heard about a baby all swaddled up and laying in a manger they would immediately grasp the significance of this.
I have to admit to some skepticism. Would they be amazed at a baby lying swaddled in a manger? Would they immediately have that connotation of an unblemished lamb? Or would their amazement simply have been due to angels having visited them. Being told not to be afraid and to head off to see a newborn baby? Wouldn't that fact alone supercede any other thoughts? Angels came! Angels, terrifying creations of God himself, came to visit humble shepherds out doing their job.
These scary beings told them to go see a baby. Not only that... after the angels told them this a whole host of heavenly beings came praising God audibly. This was not an everyday occurrence for these shepherds. One would think that would be enough to get them off their butts and heading to town to see this baby, this sign from God of a Saviour born to them.
Perhaps those three events together... the angels coming, the heavenly beings praising God, and the baby lying like a swaddled unblemished lamb would put it all into perspective. But the baby alone? That I don't know. Mind... I'm not living in Old Testament times so I don't know exactly how immediately that significance would be grasped.
It did add an extra element of understanding to me though. That those small details show God's glory all the more.
Makes me wonder.... what small details in my life show God's glory?
I'm typing this on a new laptop. My old one died rather spectacularly. So I have a new laptop, and my hubster got my old one to work well enough for HIS needs. So in essence, we both got a new laptop for the price of one. He's needed a new one for a while so it's good that he has one now eh? God at work... if one looks for it eh?