“In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Hail, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and considered in her mind what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.” (Luke 1:26–31, RSV)
Bill was a policeman in a small town in Washington State. One Christmas Eve, while doing his routine check of the businesses and buildings in the town, he ended up at a church. The night was quiet and uneventful, but the church was unlocked, so he went in. It was not uncommon in that small town for the door of the church to be left open, but he thought he would check it out anyway. He walked in and his flashlight seemed to shine brightly on the altar and especially on the Bible as he walked forward into the sanctuary. As he walked up the aisle, Bill was thinking about all his problems, all his mistakes in life. At 15, he drank constantly. At 19 when he joined the army, it got worse. He drank almost every night. When he was 24, he moved back home and was hired almost immediately for the police department. He went up in rank a number of times, but his family life and his own happiness never went up with him. Finally, he had had it with life. Just three days before entering that church, he considered killing himself. He had the gun loaded, but couldn't finish the job. He considered himself a coward for that. He walked into the church that night an angry, depressed, hurtful man. It was only a matter of time before he'd have the courage to pull that trigger.
As he walked up to the altar that night, his flashlight kept shining off the Bible. Curious, he went up to take a look at the scripture. It was opened to Psalm 143. In the quiet of that night, Bill read these words, "The enemy hath persecuted my soul; he has smitten my life down to the ground; he hath made me to dwell in darkness, as those that have been long dead. Therefore, my spirit is overwhelmed within me; my heart within me is desolate." With each word he read, he was more and more convinced that this scripture was meant for him. He remembered his happy childhood when he went to church. His family had once worshiped together. He remembered the closeness he had felt as a child in God's house. As he was thinking on this, goosebumps hit him for in the very next few verses, the scripture went on to say,,.. "I remember the days of old; I meditate on all they words; I think on the work of thy hands.”
A ray of hope began to take away the darkness in Officer Bill's heart. There in the quiet darkness of the night Bill's life was changed. The next day, he told his wife that he knelt at that altar in the quiet of night and asked God to forgive him and come into his heart and life for good.
God does things like this all the time. In the quiet of night people are saved, their lives are changed, they become different and special children of God. It was night in Egypt when the children of Israel were released from the bondage of Pharaoh with the last plague. It was night when Samuel discerned the voice of God calling him to be a prophet to God's people. It was at night that God gave David some of his sweetest psalms. It was at night when Paul and Silas prayed and sang praises in the Philippian jail, and an earthquake sent from God freed them. It was night when our Lord, Jesus Christ, was born. It is significant that God comes at night with messages for us. At the darkest time, at our darkest hour, God is there with light, with rays of hope, with a message. God's light begins to break through, and things look different, become different, are changed forever.
An angel of God, named Gabriel, was sent to a woman, a virgin named Mary 2000 years ago. The angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of his kingdom there will be no end." Mary thought it was all quite unreal, for she had no husband and she was not pregnant. How was she supposed to have a child? Yet, Mary did believe it could happen. She had doubts all along, but she did listen to the angel and believed it could happen.
Both Mary and Officer Bill were given that special gift of God's presence. And that presence was real. It wasn't a dream. God was there for Bill in the quiet dark of night. Angels gathered around Bethlehem and Mary on the night Jesus was born. Both people encountered a message sent from God. Both had their lives changed when they believed what God told them. Both felt the real presence of God in the quiet stillness of the night.
On the front lawn of a church nearby, there is a manger scene. It is all lit up at night. I was told that a few years ago, one young child in the neighborhood used to sneak over at night and crawl halfway under the straw in the back of the manger behind the figures of the wise men and shepherds so not to be seen, and he would sit there and read his Bible, wondering what the birth of Christ was really like. He wondered what it would be like to be a shepherd. On one occasion, he hid the statue of a shepherd, donned a shawl and knelt there for an hour, as people walked by. They didn't know he wasn't supposed to be part of the scene. They thought they were looking at statues, but to this young boy, it was real. God was real. The Christmas story was real, life-changing, wonderful. The young man said to the pastor several years later that he felt God in the night under the lights to be so close to him. As he read the story of Jesus' birth and other scriptures it was as if God was right there in the manger scene with him. He will never forget those holy and precious moments with God.
Tonight, why don't you spend a little special time with God? Look for God's presence coming into your evening. Give a chance for God to bless into your life. Ask for God to shine a little light into your heart, bring a little good news into your world.
By the way, Officer Bill became a Pastor of a church in the state of Washington not long after his conversion. When God comes into a life, amazing things can happen. God is real. God changes lives and saves souls all the time. Many a night has found God visiting a lonely soul or a crying mother. In the darkness, many have found the comfort of loving Heavenly arms.
As he walked up to the altar that night, his flashlight kept shining off the Bible. Curious, he went up to take a look at the scripture. It was opened to Psalm 143. In the quiet of that night, Bill read these words, "The enemy hath persecuted my soul; he has smitten my life down to the ground; he hath made me to dwell in darkness, as those that have been long dead. Therefore, my spirit is overwhelmed within me; my heart within me is desolate." With each word he read, he was more and more convinced that this scripture was meant for him. He remembered his happy childhood when he went to church. His family had once worshiped together. He remembered the closeness he had felt as a child in God's house. As he was thinking on this, goosebumps hit him for in the very next few verses, the scripture went on to say,,.. "I remember the days of old; I meditate on all they words; I think on the work of thy hands.”
A ray of hope began to take away the darkness in Officer Bill's heart. There in the quiet darkness of the night Bill's life was changed. The next day, he told his wife that he knelt at that altar in the quiet of night and asked God to forgive him and come into his heart and life for good.
God does things like this all the time. In the quiet of night people are saved, their lives are changed, they become different and special children of God. It was night in Egypt when the children of Israel were released from the bondage of Pharaoh with the last plague. It was night when Samuel discerned the voice of God calling him to be a prophet to God's people. It was at night that God gave David some of his sweetest psalms. It was at night when Paul and Silas prayed and sang praises in the Philippian jail, and an earthquake sent from God freed them. It was night when our Lord, Jesus Christ, was born. It is significant that God comes at night with messages for us. At the darkest time, at our darkest hour, God is there with light, with rays of hope, with a message. God's light begins to break through, and things look different, become different, are changed forever.
An angel of God, named Gabriel, was sent to a woman, a virgin named Mary 2000 years ago. The angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of his kingdom there will be no end." Mary thought it was all quite unreal, for she had no husband and she was not pregnant. How was she supposed to have a child? Yet, Mary did believe it could happen. She had doubts all along, but she did listen to the angel and believed it could happen.
Both Mary and Officer Bill were given that special gift of God's presence. And that presence was real. It wasn't a dream. God was there for Bill in the quiet dark of night. Angels gathered around Bethlehem and Mary on the night Jesus was born. Both people encountered a message sent from God. Both had their lives changed when they believed what God told them. Both felt the real presence of God in the quiet stillness of the night.
On the front lawn of a church nearby, there is a manger scene. It is all lit up at night. I was told that a few years ago, one young child in the neighborhood used to sneak over at night and crawl halfway under the straw in the back of the manger behind the figures of the wise men and shepherds so not to be seen, and he would sit there and read his Bible, wondering what the birth of Christ was really like. He wondered what it would be like to be a shepherd. On one occasion, he hid the statue of a shepherd, donned a shawl and knelt there for an hour, as people walked by. They didn't know he wasn't supposed to be part of the scene. They thought they were looking at statues, but to this young boy, it was real. God was real. The Christmas story was real, life-changing, wonderful. The young man said to the pastor several years later that he felt God in the night under the lights to be so close to him. As he read the story of Jesus' birth and other scriptures it was as if God was right there in the manger scene with him. He will never forget those holy and precious moments with God.
Tonight, why don't you spend a little special time with God? Look for God's presence coming into your evening. Give a chance for God to bless into your life. Ask for God to shine a little light into your heart, bring a little good news into your world.
By the way, Officer Bill became a Pastor of a church in the state of Washington not long after his conversion. When God comes into a life, amazing things can happen. God is real. God changes lives and saves souls all the time. Many a night has found God visiting a lonely soul or a crying mother. In the darkness, many have found the comfort of loving Heavenly arms.