Contemplative Bible Reading

Some thoughts about Bible verses

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Terror

March 16th, 2019 · No Comments

Luke 2:8-9 (New Living Translation)

8 That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. 9 Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified,

This is part of the familiar (hi)story of the birth of Jesus and the shepherds with their sheep. A messenger from God appears. The reaction?

They were TERRIFIED.

Well, of course they were. The power of God is unimaginable when experienced first hand. Even in our post-post-post…modern world of computer generated movies and super duper heroes doing super duper hero stuff, the power of God is unimaginable. Let us not try to explain away the reaction of these ancient simpletons (who somehow figured out how to live full lives with none of our advanced advantages, who are the simpletons?).

When the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounds us, we are TERRIFIED.

Me? When I read this—when I read how the love of Jesus Christ has changed mankind—am I amazed? Is this, “yeah, yeah, yeah, I’ve read this before, blah, blah, blah.” Do I realize the Lord’s glory? Am I numb? Is my heart seared hard and sealed to any feeling?

Tags: Luke · New Testament

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