Devotional for the Twelfth Day of Christmas

Luke 2:8-11 (Disciples’ Literal New Testament) “And shepherds were in the same region, living in the fields and watching over their flock for watches of the night. And an angel of the Lord stood near them, and the glory of the Lord shined around them, and they feared a great fear. And the angel said to them, “Do not be fearing. For behold—I am announcing-as-good-news to a great joy which will be for all the people, because a Savior was born for you today in the city of David, Who is Christ the Lord.”

 

One of the purposes of the Twelve Days of Christmas is to remind us that Christmas is not a single day marked with gift giving, family gatherings, or eating those holiday goodies. Christmas is about the life that is ours because the Savior was born and came and dwelt among His people, and the salvation offered to all is the gift that we open each day we are blessed to receive. The Savior came for each of us but not only us. The Savior calls us to enter into the community of faith like the community present in the Trinity. The observance of the birth of this Savior marks more than a simple telling of an ancient myth. It is making the bold claim that just as shepherds in the hills above Bethlehem on that night long ago encountered the Divine in their midst, so too can we have an encounter with God. The shepherds told others what they had witnessed. The Savior’s presence cannot be kept quiet. When God arrives on the scene, things happen. Will you share what this God has done and is doing in your life?

— Pastor Charles