8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding
in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And,
lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round
about them: and they were sore afraid. 10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold,
I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. 11 For
unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the
Lord. (Luke 2:8-11)
1 Now
when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king,
behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, 2 Saying,
Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the
east, and are come to worship him. (Matt 2:1-2)
The proclamation of the great Angel of the news that would be of great joy,
which shall be to all people, opens the deep fountains of joy in my own
heart to know that I am among those “all people” who have known and
believed upon the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ. God set aside a nation apart
from every nation in the world which was Israel, His chosen nation. That nation
was both political and spiritual. The political could not save, but the
spiritual would. It is the spiritual Israel that are the true children of
Abraham because they have believed that same Promise of the coming Seed of
Promise that is Christ Jesus. There was a sequence to the first coming of
Christ: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power
of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also
to the Greek (Gentile). (Romans 1:16)
The very night of the birth of our Savior, the Angel of the Lord appeared to
the poor Jewish shepherds who were on the hills overlooking Jerusalem, “keeping
watch over their flocks by night.” These men were as near the Lord that
night as the shot of an arrow; however, there was another group comprised of
distant Gentiles who had seen and followed the Star that heralded His coming.
They followed from far away Persia, and they traveled for months on end across
mountain, desert sands, rivers, and trails perilous for the times. They were not
privileged to see the Christ-Child on the night of His birth, but much later.
When they arrived, He was already lodged in a house. But the time of our
coming to Christ is of no consequence to our salvation. The most important
consideration is that our hearts respond to His Light and that we come ere the “Door
of the Ark” is closed.
So all who are the Elect are the children of Abraham – you and I are in that
category if we have been called and chosen in Christ! Our status with God is
not decided upon by national boundaries or racial concerns. It is totally based
upon the response of our heart as orchestrated by the effectual working of the
Holy Ghost.
Today, the world is trying to reject the reality of Christmas; but there is a
clumsy little detail around which they cannot maneuver: “What happened 2,015
years ago that was so critically important that our calendars are based upon
that wonderful event?”
As Tiny Tim proclaimed at the end of Dickens’ Christmas Story:
MERRY CHRISTMAS AND GOD BLESS US –
Everyone!
Jerry L. Ogles, DD
Presiding Bishop Anglican Orthodox Communion Worldwide
Chancellor, Faith Theological Seminary
