Advent Devotional

Run and Tell!

Read Luke 2:6-20 aloud slowly and imaginatively.  What do you think it might have felt like to be there when the angels showed up?

Among our favorite praise songs during our years at Blacknall are those written by the St. Louis Jesuits, e.g. “Blest Be the Lord”.  One of their Advent-Christmas albums includes a delightful and simple invitation to the younger ones among us:

Children, run joyfully!

Jesus is born!

Tell all the mountains to sing.

Pray to our Father in heaven this day:

Thank you for Jesus is born.

Were there children among the shepherds on the night when angels announced to them that a “Savior is born this day in the town of Bethlehem”?  Very likely so, and the shepherd children were among the first to probably exclaim, “Yeah, sure!  Let’s go and see!”  Can you imagine them dashing off into the darkness, already trying to recall the tune that the angels sang:  “Glory to God in the highest!”  Meanwhile uncles and older cousins are reprimanding them, Hey, tie the animals first!  Be careful where you step in the dark.  Don’t get so excited. It’s only a baby.

            Only a baby?  Indeed, only the Messiah, the Lord of history!  Those were angels telling the news!  How do you know they were angels?  Well, because they just lit up the whole hillside!  And have you ever heard such singing, I mean, it just seemed to lift us up out of our sleepiness and set our feet running!  We too, felt like singing!

            We didn’t stop singing or running either after we visited and saw the baby.  Just couldn’t help it.  All the way back to where we left the sheep – what a noise we made.  Why I bet we woke the people in Bethlehem, and other shepherds…. Golly, we probably woke up the trees, the creeks and the mountains too!  Seems like that was the best night ever; we couldn’t stop talking about the whole thing.  It was awesome!

            Nice story, huh?  Shepherds and sheep, angels – whatever they are – songs in the night, a special baby born in a special place, good news, great joy.

Well, is the news for you also good, something that elicits great joy?  God’s announcement still comes to you and me today, and his invitation still beckons us:  get up, go and discover my son, my chosen one, your savior.  And don’t hold it in; tell others, sing it out:

Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name;
    make known among the nations what he has done.
Sing to him, sing praise to him;
    tell of all his wonderful acts.
Glory in his holy name;
    let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.
Look to the Lord and his strength,
    seek his face always. (Psalm 105:1-5)

Prayer: Living God, our Father in heaven, thank you for graciously assigning Jesus to live among us, even from childhood to adulthood!  Chase the sleepiness or usualness of past Christmases and free us anew to glory in your awesome advent.