"Glad Tidings of a Savior's Birth"
Brian and I were talking about the angelic announcement of the the birth of Jesus. That I get. I mean, while the royal baby born this summer to Kate and William got global coverage by every media outlet in the world, went viral on social media, and was the talk of the town for a few days, God didn't come out of heaven to announce his welcome. So I get that. What I don't get is why the shepherds are the ones God air mails a singing birth announcement to! If you have seen the trailer for, or heard of the show called, "My Big Fat American Gypsy Wedding," that is sort of what society would have thought of shepherds--outcasts and wanderers. But God knows his business, and thank God he does, because maybe you and I have hope!Also, on this Second Sunday of Advent, the candle we light is the candle of "peace." It just so happens that the message of the angels stated the whole reason and decided purpose of God for his creation: "...on earth peace to men on whom his favor rest." Even in the crude surroundings of a manger in a strange city that was not Mary and Joseph's home, God is bringing about what he has always purposed--that his good creation would know "shalom." Because of this infant nestled in his mothers arms--totally vulnerable and helpless-- the whole would would one day again became a place of human thriving.That is Advent! That is why Advent is a party!