Searching

 

In 1985, my children were all excited.  The previous night, they had seen a searchlight in the night sky, and I had promised to investigate.  We piled into our 1981 black Chevy station wagon and the adventure began.  The light was casting a wide circle but could only be seen when it was toward us.  I had to keep my eye on the road, but I had plenty of help from the kids as they gave me directions.  As we followed the light, it became brighter and brighter until we pulled into the grand opening of a convenience store.  I bought a round of Icee’s and we watched the searchlight for a few minutes.  A fence kept us from getting too close, but as the giant light slowly circled, we could see how bright it was.  I was reminded of the shepherds in the fields keeping watch over their flocks the night that Jesus was born.  When the angels appeared in the night sky, it must have been as bright as our electric arc searchlight that we had followed to the grand opening of a convenience store.  But 2,000 years ago, no one had ever seen a light that bright!  No wonder that the shepherds “were sore afraid”.  But their fear turned to excitement as they heard the news of the newborn King.  Dr. Luke records in Luke 2:15&16, “And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.”  Like my children following the searchlight, the shepherds were anxious to find the newborn King.  How thrilled the shepherds were when they had located baby Jesus!  Hey, have you found baby Jesus?  Have you welcomed Him into your heart?  I hope you have.  If not, this Christmas season would be a great time to ask Jesus into your heart.