My messaging channels continue to expand like a loaf of proving bread in a warm oven.
Email. Text. WhatsApp. Messenger. The Zoom chat feature. Even my childhood swimming pool game piled on: Marco Polo.
My kids won’t let me TikTok or SnapChat. Some mutterings about “age” and “embarrassing.”
Paying attention to the channels and prioritizing the incoming memos require sorting and filtering. Especially in this season of trading my email for a 10% off coupon. Who do I listen to? Who do I tune out?
In purely analog Bethlehem days everyone listened to God’s messengers aka angels. Majestic military flying men with time-transcending talents tend to garner attention from everyone when they pop into a room. Or field.
No missing their message.
“Glory to God in the highest heaven and on earth peace to those on whom His favor rests.” – Luke 2.14
The God whose awesomeness creates fear in lowly folks like you and me offers favor and peace in abundance.
No need to shy away from Him. No need to run and hide when His messengers appear. No need to wonder if He’s going to smite me or hug me.
Not if His favor rests on me. Not if He finds me favorable. Like getting a Tesla while your siblings all got bus passes. That would be favorable all right.
Christmas offers the world God’s favor. Christmas offers mankind God’s peace.
Christmas offers Jesus to every heart wondering about the future and worrying about the past.
That’s a message worth listening to.
That’s a message for you.