Luke 2:1-20 shares the birth of Jesus Christ and the announcement of His birth to the shepherds. Everything that took place on the day of His birth was already planned by God. Mary and Joseph would not have left Nazareth so late in her pregnancy unless they absolutely had to. For the prophecy to be filled, Jesus had to be born in Bethlehem. However, the location of His birth was not ideal. When they arrived at Bethlehem, there were no rooms available. So they ended up in a stable with the animals, because no one was willing to make any space for a woman with child. Everybody was too busy doing their own thing, therefore, no one saw them. But, God saw all that was happening, and had provided a place for them among animals and not people. Jesus was born in a place isolated from people because the world was isolated from God. 

The shepherds were in the field doing what they usually do at night, keeping watch over the sheep. Then the glory of the Lord shone all around them. This glory created light in the midst of the darkness, which lets us know God’s glory comes to expose. The Lord does not want us to be a people that are not able to see, this is why He exposed everything with His glory. Also, He was letting these shepherds know things were about to change for them. Why, because He was letting them know, I see you. These shepherds had a thankless job, they took care of the sheep that were to be sacrificed at the altar. The religious leaders saw them as people that could not abide by the cleansing rituals, but they needed them to care for the sheep. In essence, they did not see them as fellow Jews, because they could not maintain the rituals. God sent the angel to them so they would know they are important, and He wanted them to be the first to see the Savior, who is the Messiah. Can you imagine how these shepherds felt receiving this good news? They came to realize they matter to God, and now they are to go and see for themselves. They were not disappointed and were blessed by being the first to see Jesus. Once they saw Him they could not keep what they saw to themselves. They began to tell everyone about the good news they had heard, and have now seen.

I want you to know God sees you. If He didn’t, Jesus would not have come and we would have remained in the dark. However, Jesus did come to let us know God sees you. He knows all about your pain, anger, and disappointments. God sees how you have been frustrated by this pandemic, and you have a hard time making it from one day to the next. Today He’s letting you know it’s time for you to reconnect with Him. When you do, the glory of the Lord will be all around letting you know things are going to get better. Why, because He is saying, I see you. Merry Christmas!