“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased.” Luke 2:14

We are just one day away from the longest night of the year. The wind is howling and the rain is coming down as the night gets darker and darker. It feels like the spiritual darkness is growing as well. I can imagine on a night like this one, the shepherds might have huddled closer to the fire and said to one another, “wouldn’t it be a good night for the Messiah to come?” I can imagine heaven smiling as the shepherds are then shocked to the point of panic when the Lord rends the heavens and the angels proclaim that God has come down in the flesh of beautiful little baby boy. I love how Luke’s gospel tells us that the shepherds not only hurried to see the Christ child but then began telling everyone of what they had heard and seen.

Christmas is not the end of the story, but the glorious beginning. Our Advent observance teaches us that all of history was just the prelude to the Lord’s coming. Jesus changes everything. History hinges on the Savior’s birth. Before Christ there was no hope for a humanity that had declared war with God. After Christ, there was hope for peace on earth through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Just like the shepherds, we too have a mission–to tell everyone we meet about what we have experienced in the saving work of Jesus Christ.

The night is long, but the night can’t last forever. It may be before we celebrate another Christmas that Christ will return for his people. When the Lord comes back how do you want him to find you? May the Lord find us working. So bundle up a little tighter. Hold the light a little brighter. Lift your voice a light higher, because the good news of salvation is here and it’s for everyone.