As another year draws to a close, I am sending you special greetings with good tidings of great joy for everyone. These good tidings are revealed in Luke 2:8-20 where God gave the initial birth announcement to a group of unlikely people – shepherds.

In those days, shepherds were not considered among the elite of society. Rather, they were among the lower level in that culture. Due to the nature of their work, their participation in the religious life of their community was limited. Therefore, the tendency among their Jewish neighbors was to regard them as less righteous.

Thus, for God to announce the arrival of their King – their Messiah – to them was a vivid picture of His grace, love, and mercy. Their initial response of fear (sheer terror or literally “feared with great fear”) turned to wonder, joy, and motivation as they contemplated the awesome news that they had received.

Without delay, they acted upon the revelation and went in search of the Child. Having found the baby, they then shared the good news with others.

We are like those shepherds in so many ways.

God has manifested His grace toward each one of us. Although not one of us deserves to hear the Good News of God’s provision for our sin through the sacrifice of His Son, He has made known His Truth to us. But God demonstrates His own love for us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8).

At one time, His presence and message would have filled us with fear because we were under His just sentence of judgement for falling short of His righteous standards of life and conduct. But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear (Isaiah 59:2). However, by His grace, we have been comforted and assured by His Word that we are now accepted into an eternal relationship with Him because we have placed our total trust in the good news that we have heard: But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, (John 1:12).

Like the shepherds, God has commissioned us to go forth and share the good news with others. “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:19-20).

As we experience this Christmas season and enter into a New Year, may the One who is our Good Shepherd be your Provider, Protector, and the Propitiation (satisfaction) for your sin.

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed (Romans 3:23-25).

Although we do not know what the future holds, we know that He holds our future. May you join me in a spirit of gratitude for all that He has done during this past year and for all that He is going to do in this New Year.

Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!

2 Corinthians 9:15

Dan Marshall
Local Government Ministries
Southeast U.S. Director
capmin.org/local