The first sign that something unique had taken place that first Christmas was the unusual radiance in the night sky. Shepherds who were patiently tending their flocks and keeping watch, as they must have done thousands of times before, were the first to hear the good news the angel of God was bringing to the world: "Behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord." Luke 2:10, 11.
Those shepherds hastened to the stable where the infant Jesus lay, attended by Joseph and Mary. They carried the joyful news to their friends, praising God as they went.
The wonder of that message still speaks today as we celebrate the Saviour's birth. "Unto [us] is born this day ... a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord." In a season of routine greetings, mass-produced gifts, pressured good will, we can still find the original meaning and power of Christmas. We too, like the watchful shepherds, can experience the joy of having Christ, Truth, revealed to us anew. The Christmas season celebrates the advent and birth of Jesus, but the salvation he came to show us is as eternal as God. Each day we can welcome the Christ into our hearts, for Christ lifts consciousness above the anxieties and burdens of materiality and helps us to lay hold on our spiritual identity, forever at one with God.
