Go tell it on the mountain,...

"Go tell it on the mountain, over the hills and everywhere, go tell it on the mountain, that Jesus Christ is born."

Luke 2:8-12 says,

8 -  In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night.
9 -  And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened.
10 -  But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people;
11 -  for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
12 -  "This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."

The phrase "...keeping watch..." has the base of "guarding" so the shepherds were in protection mode.

The phrase "...terribly frightened...." in greek is "megas phobeo."  Can you see the words "mega" and "phobia?"  The shepherds were experiencing something that had them shaking in their sandals.  They were ready for a predator animal to take away a sheep or maybe even a robber, but they weren't ready for angel that night.

I think what is the craziest about the message of the angel is that this Savior, this Deliver from destruction and this Christ, the Anointed One who was also Lord, a Master of deciding was to be born.  Born?  Doesn't someone like this just appear?  They come in on a white stallion or riding some indescribable animal like in the Hobbit movie, right?

To be born means that they would have to wait to see some tangible evidences of what the angel was saying about this baby called "...Savior..." and "...Christ, the Lord."  The greatness of this little One had to be taken on the word of another, the angel.  The shepherds left the comfort of what they knew (the field and their flock) and went on the information of the angel to the manger and later they proclaimed that same message to others in the little town of Bethlehem.

In a similar way, that pronouncement about who Jesus is has come to us.  It is something "born" into us.  It starts as a small thought or revelation that we have obeyed to investigate further.  We have left the comfort of what we know to go see.  Hopefully we have come to a place where we have bowed to Jesus and something that was a small thought has encompassed our life.  Jesus is so much a part of our lives, so great, that all that is about Him can not be contained in our physical bodies and pours out to our little town of Oglesby.

"Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners."  Be so thankful this day that the sentence of Christmas directly applies to you.

This Christmas Day, please take time to pray together for Ruth and Evelyn Moyle and also Betty Wiertz.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Pastor Adam