The Angel Answered The Question Of How To Be Forgiven

^{Luke 2}

⁸And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. ⁹And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. ¹⁰And the angel said to them, "Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. ¹¹For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. ¹²And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger." ¹³And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,
 ¹⁴ "Glory to God in the highest,
    and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!"

Christmas can be a very hectic time of the year. We can get all caught up in the commercial side of the season and spend all of our emotional energy and money on gifts. We could get caught up in some of the uncomfortable family dynamics that are amplified during this "joyous season". Many will be reminded of loved ones lost during 2011. There are a lot of potential distractions that can take our eyes off of the prize. 

The prize, of course, is the Lord Jesus Christ! The angel of the Lord  was well aware of the magnificent gift that had come to planet earth when he made his exciting announcement to those shepherds long ago. He had been in His presence in Heaven and witnessed His miraculous power everyday. The Bible tells us that angels long to look (I Peter 1:12) into this amazing story of how God pitied mortal sinners and sent His Son to die for our sins. They find it to be simply incredible that the King of Glory actually came to be with us so that we might become forgiven and adopted into His family and enjoy the privileges of being children of God. It's no wonder that he described this announcement as "good news of great joy". Sadly, most of the world has not grasped the wonder that the angel possessed. They have not found the coming of Jesus as good news because they have not trusted Him to be Savior and Redeemer. I hope that this Christmas you will celebrate as one who has found forgiveness from your sins. Take a moment to view the short video in the right side bar of this blog. My Christmas wish for you is that you might be saved, forgiven, redeemed and adopted into God's family by believing in His Son!