The LORD's Day After Christmas 2008

When The Angels Had Left Them

Luke 2.1-20


This was a spectacular thing to say the least. A great company of the Heavenly Host lighting up Bethlehem’s sky with the glory of the LORD and praising God. Perhaps it was a glimpse into heaven and at the moment Jesus was born a view of the worship was given. More likely since angels do mean messengers, they sent by God to the earth. It is so wonderful that it was to a group of shepherds in the fields nearby keeping watch over their flocks at night.

Glorious visitations like this are just that- glorious and visitations. Visit implies a coming and going. The angels didn’t stay. Angels are visitors. After their work is done they are out of there. They are envoys. They come to give a message from God and then they go back to heaven. You never see angels hanging out


But what happened after... what happened when the angels left them?

If you have had an encounter with an angel you will never forget it. Yet these encounters do not last. They are brief. Sometimes God does some wonderful things as well and we can be on a high mountain like Peter, James and John were when Jesus was transfigured but then we have to come down from the mountain, back to where life is taking place.

What do we do after the angels leave and things return to normal?

Some people try to sustain these experiences. Peter suggested that they do it when they were up on Mount Hermon. Matthew 16.

1. The glory of the LORD was not visible like it was.

Laura’s e-mail this week.
Sometimes through difficulty

We can still see His glory

Jeanette’s e-mail:
To my Lovely Family & Friends,

Merry Christmas For a couple of days, I have been thinking what I was going to write in this message. I wanted it to be cutesy and joyous as well as meaningful. So, here it goes--

First, I decided to be totally different this year and write early in the morning. By now, some of you are up ripping about those presents which Santa left ONLY for you last night. By the way, I hope that you are having fun attacking these presents. By the way. the reason that I underline only is because each of you have been good this year and are very special to Santa as well as ME.

After you finish with opening your gifts. just remember that you have one more gift which can't be put under your tree. In fact, this precious gift came over 2,000 years before we were born. It came in form of a baby born in Manager. This baby came for each one of us so we can have everlasting peace and love not only on Christmas Day, but each day of our lives. As we go about enjoying this famous day, let's us pause and thinking of this important which God gave each of us. Merry Christmas and may your New Year His Peace & Love. As the words of The Christmas Song says, May all of our trouble be out of sight. That is my prayer for all of us.

Love you,
Jeanette


Behold His Glory. Some folks can see it all the time and it shows on their faces.

They live in God’s Presence even when it is not visible. Brother Lawrence called this Practicing the Presence. Samuel Logan Brengel, a commissioner in the Salvation Army lived like this.

It is a glorious way to live. Dr. Floyd Perkins lived life this way. I heard him speak one time on the subject “Life Can Be a Crescendo of Glory” I spoke to him just a month and a half before he died. He was filled with God’s Spirit and had a tender heart and spoke like Peter about his departure. (II Peter 1.12-15)

2. They decided to go and see what they were told about.

I love this. They had no command to go. They had spiritual curiosity. They wanted to know more.

More About Jesus

How is your spiritual thirst these days... your spiritual hunger? He Satisfies our souls and at the same time makes want to know Him better. This is one of the paradoxes of following Jesus. He creates a thirst while at the same time satisfying us


3. The LORD was with them.

Immanuel God with us.

This is the wondrous truth about Christmas. This is what Matthew recorded in chapter one verse 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel -which means, God with us.

Nicodemus picked up on this. John 3.1 Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council. 2He came to Jesus at night and said, Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him. He was close to the Truth. It was not that God with Jesus. He is God. It was that God was with Nicodemus. God, in the flesh, sitting and speaking to Israel’s teacher.


4. They saw the LORD.

Not in the sky but in the manger.

Not with bright glory but with Divine Simplicity. Here is a clue on what to do after wonderful experiences. Don’t miss the simple things the LORD shows up in. For instance He came through some Christmas Card and e-mails and songs this Christmas.

See the LORD Open your eyes to the things all around you

Many times our visions are not some supernatural manifestation but God revealing Himself and His Truth through the simple almost mundane things

I Corinthians 1.26 Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28 He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, 29 so that no one may boast before Him.



5. They spread the Good News.

Luke 2. 16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

In a few days all the Christmas decorations will be taken down and put away until next December. The Christmas lights will come down and no longer shine. Not so with you. You be like the shepherds. Go tell the Good News. The celebration continues in a different way now. We celebrate by serving. We take joy and receive so much by giving back to the LORD. He is in you Let His Spirit out. Share His love. Let Him breathe His will and desires through you.

Keep your eyes open to all the opportunities all around you They are insurmountable