Has Christmas Come In Your Heart?

From the desk of Ray C. Stedman:

I would like for you to meditate with me on the announcement of the angel to the shepherds in Bethlehem. . . .

[T]he angel suddenly appeared out of the darkness of the night. Around him shone the radiance of glory — a nimbus — as the glory of the Lord shone round about the shepherds. And as the Authorized Version puts it, “they were sore afraid.” Luke 2:10:

But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:10-11 NIV). . . .

It is striking that the human emotion that was first encountered by the angelic messenger was that of fear. Men were afraid in that day. They were afraid of many things, as they are today. . . .

Yet the first word of the angel to those shepherds in the field was “Fear not. Be not afraid.” I do not think any greater news can come to us than that announcement. It came to them, as the angel went on to say, because a Savior was born in Bethlehem — a Deliverer. Because of the presence of a Deliverer, they need not be afraid of anything. . . .

Every Christmas season we remind each other that it is not enough for Christ to have been born in Bethlehem 2,000 years ago. What really counts is Christ being born in the human heart. Your Bethlehem is when Christ came to you and was born in your heart. It is that remarkable parallel that constitutes the good news of Christianity today — that Jesus can be born in us as certainly as he was born in Bethlehem. Therefore, to us, the angel stands to make his welcome announcement: “Fear not. Fear not, for unto you is born this day a Savior, who is Christ the Lord”. . . .

[A]ll the days of the year that lie ahead are to be met by the fact that we have in our midst and in our hearts, if we have come to know him, a Savior, a Deliverer, a Rescuer, Christ the Lord. All authority has been given unto him, in heaven and on earth. No event and no circumstance can come into our lives that will be more than he can handle, more than he can take us through. It is that knowledge that gives the heart peace and puts joy upon the countenance.

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