Advent Devotions - December 12

Luke 2:12-21

12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

 

13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

 

14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven,
    and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

 

15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

 

16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

 

21 On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise the child, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he was conceived.


Have you ever experienced something that took your breath away? The expanse of the Grand Canyon? Fall leaf colors that line a street? Even on an ordinary day, we can walk into something unexpected. That’s what happened to these shepherds. An ordinary day turned extraordinary. They encountered angels, heard their message, and suddenly, these shepherds headed to Bethlehem!

 

They became the first to spread the word about Jesus’ arrival. While angels returned to heaven and shepherds trekked to Bethlehem, Mary treasured and pondered the events. A sense of wonder and awe permeates these people.

 

How would you respond to an angelic conversation? What did the angels see that we may be blinded to in our ordinary days?

 

Mary considers the meaning of these extraordinary events. In a season of increased activity, how can you pull away to ponder the true meaning of Christmas? Are you more prone to be on the move, or consider things in your heart?

 

Imagine yourself in the midst of these events, what would take your breath away?