Silent Night in Bethlehem | Isaiah 41:10, Luke 2:8-20

Our theme this week is, “Do Not Be Afraid.”  Today we’re focusing on the story of the shepherds and how they went from being terrified to being filled with faith after an angel delivered the news of Jesus’ birth. We’re also revisiting the word, “abide.” Jesus, is our Good Shepherd and He abides with us always. So, let’s trust Him, and don’t be afraid!

Special thanks to Seattle’s Union Gospel Mission, for bringing us the Bible For Busy People this Christmas season!

Show Notes:

• Who Is Jesus? Let us introduce you!
• Have a prayer request? Leave it here.
• We’d love for you to leave a review. We know most of our listeners come from Apple podcasts and if that is you, please take a moment to rate the podcast and tell us what you loved about this episode. It helps us reach more people!

Transcription:

Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.

Let those words wrap around you like a big hug today. Hi, it’s the Bible for Busy People. I’m Erica, your host, and all this week you and I are going to be talking about how God tells us over and over in the Bible, Don’t be afraid. So we’re going to follow God throughout these stories in the Bible this week and listen to him say these words over and over.

Do not be afraid.

Be not afraid.

They’re such beautiful words worth hanging onto. We’re going to step into the shoes or the sandals of the people. God spoke these words to beginning with the shepherds in the Christmas story. If you’ve ever heard the King James version and you have, if you’ve watched a Charlie Brown Christmas because that’s the one that Linus quotes in the middle of the chaos of that Christmas pageant, it says this,

And there were in the same country, shepherds abiding in the field keeping watch over their flock by night.

We’re actually not going to read the King James today. We’re going to read the New Living Translation, but I want to ask you to hold that word, abiding, in your heart because we’re going to talk about that word and what it means to us and how it can literally eradicate our fear near the end of this episode. But first, I want to talk about the beginning of this episode because the verse I opened with today was Isaiah 41, chapter 10. You and I get to hang out with the prophet Isaiah from time to time. He always has something good to say. If you’re new to the faith, to the family, a prophet is just someone who God tapped to send his messages through, like God’s postal carrier.

Okay, now we jump to the gospel of Luke chapter two, verse eight. We’re going to jump right into the middle of that most famous silent night in history. The very first Christmas.

That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. 9 Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, 10 but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. 11 The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! 12 And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.” 13 Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven…

Take a moment and just picture what that might’ve looked like.

—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.” 15 When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” 16 They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. 17 After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. 18 All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished, 19 but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often. 20 The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them.

Oh, it’s just the greatest story ever. And it’s true. I often remind myself of that everything we believe is true and beautiful and holy and sacred, and yes, astonishing. I love our faith. Okay, earlier I was sharing that prophets are God’s postal carriers. So are angels. They are also called to be his messengers, and this night they delivered the greatest news of all time, that a Savior had been born to us. There was hope for humankind and it was wonderful.

Did you notice how the shepherds went from being terrified to being filled with faith because they ran to Bethlehem, didn’t they? They wanted to find out if what the angels told them was true, and it was. Can you imagine how it felt to see the baby wrapped in swaddling clothes just as the angels had told them? And then they went back to their sheep, glorifying and praising God for everything they had heard and seen. So, let’s get back to that word abide. The word abide. When you abide with someone, whether it’s a shepherd abiding with his sheep or you and I abiding with the living God, with Jesus, it means to stay, to remain. Notice that the shepherds did not leave the sheep for long. They returned, even though they had an encounter with heavenly beings, with the living God, with his messengers. Still they returned to their sheep because they were good shepherds. Well, Jesus is our good shepherd and he never ever, ever leaves us, not even for a hot second. He abides with us for always, and that’s why we don’t have to be afraid. Whatever you and I must go through in this life, whatever trials we must endure, Jesus is going to be right there abiding with us, never ever leaving us. And that’s why you and I don’t have to be afraid this Christmas, or ever. He is Emmanuel, which means God is with us. Until next time, you are loved.

Thank you for making space to study the Bible with me today. If you feel something stirring in your soul, that’s the God who made you, saying, I love you and I want to know you. It’s what Christmas is all about. Jesus came for you so that your soul would know its worth. He came to bring joy to the world, and to your world. It’s the most beautiful love story ever written, and it’s true. It’s the greatest rescue mission in history, and it was for you. If you want to respond to that stirring in your soul, to know Jesus a little better, please take a moment and check out our show notes, where you’ll find lots of hope and encouragement for your journey.

The Bible for Busy people is brought to you this Christmas season by Seattle’s Union Gospel Mission. Every day and every night, their team is on a mission to share the good news with our neighbors who are homeless. Like the angels who came on the night, Jesus was born. They make sure that every person who walks through the doors of the Mission knows that there is hope because Jesus came, and how much He loves them. Every person they meet on the street encounters the love of Christ through a friendly smile, a warm blanket, a cup of cocoa, and an invitation to take that next step toward healing from addiction or mental illness. If you want to be part of making sure every soul knows its worth in Seattle this Christmas, volunteer or donate at ugm.org. Thank you and Merry Christmas.

This podcast is one branch of a Christmas tree called Purposely, a network designed to connect you with life-giving conversations, and to inspire you to find and live out God’s purpose for your life. If you’ve got a pulse, you’ve got a purpose.