On this sacred day, as the world pauses to celebrate Christmas, we are drawn back to the profound words spoken by the angel to the shepherds on that holy night: “Today in the city of David a Savior has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger” (Luke 2:11-12). These verses are more than just part of the Christmas story—they are the heart of it. They remind us that Christmas is not about material gifts or fleeting traditions but about God’s ultimate gift to humanity: His Son, Jesus Christ.
Luke 2:11-12 The New International Version
11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
The Savior is Born
The angel’s announcement was nothing short of extraordinary. It wasn’t delivered in royal courts or religious temples but to humble shepherds tending their flocks under the night sky. These shepherds, considered lowly and insignificant by society, were chosen to receive the most important news in history. This choice was no accident—it reflected God’s heart for all people, especially those who feel overlooked, unworthy, or burdened by life’s struggles. The Savior came not for a select few but for everyone, regardless of status or circumstance.
The title Savior is central to understanding why Jesus’ birth matters. Humanity, separated from God by sin, was in desperate need of redemption. No amount of effort or goodness on our part could bridge the gap between our brokenness and God’s holiness. But in His infinite love, God sent His Son to rescue us. As John 3:16 proclaims, “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” Jesus came not just as a teacher or prophet but as our Savior—the one who would reconcile us with God.
A Sign of Humility
The angel provided a sign to the shepherds: they would find the Savior as a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger. This humble setting defied every expectation of what a king’s arrival should look like. There were no palaces, no royal processions—just a stable and a feeding trough. Yet this simplicity was deeply intentional. It revealed the nature of God’s kingdom—a kingdom not built on earthly power or wealth but on humility, grace, and love.
Jesus’ birth in such modest circumstances reminds us that God often works through ordinary means to accomplish extraordinary purposes. The Savior of the world entered history not with grandeur but with quiet humility, showing us that no place or person is too small for God’s presence.
Good News for All People
The angel declared that this birth was “good news of great joy that will be for all the people” (Luke 2:10). This message transcends time and culture. It speaks to every heart longing for hope, peace, and restoration. Jesus came not only to save us from our sins but also to bring abundant life—a life filled with purpose, joy, and reconciliation with God.
For those who feel weighed down by grief, loneliness, or hardship during this season, this message is especially comforting. The birth of Jesus assures us that we are never alone. Emmanuel—God with us—has come to dwell among us, offering His presence and peace even in life’s darkest moments.
Responding to the Gift
Christmas invites us to respond to this incredible gift. Just as the shepherds left their fields to seek out the Savior, we are called to seek Him with open hearts. Have you made room for Jesus in your life? Is there space for Him in your daily routines, your decisions, and your relationships?
Receiving this gift requires faith—a willingness to trust in Jesus as Lord and Savior. It also calls us to live lives marked by gratitude and generosity. The shepherds didn’t keep the good news to themselves; they shared it with others. Likewise, we are called to share the hope and joy of Christ with those around us.
Read More About This Devotional
Words of Wisdom: Jesus, Our Saviour: The True Light of Christmas
Quote of the Day: “Our true Christmas gift came because we didn’t deserve it, because we were sinful and incapable of saving ourselves”
Living Out Christmas Every Day
While Christmas is a special day set apart for celebrating Jesus’ birth, its message is one we can carry throughout the year. The humility of Christ’s manger reminds us to serve others selflessly. The joy of His coming inspires us to live with hope even in challenging times. And His role as Savior calls us to extend grace and forgiveness as we have received them.
As you reflect on Luke 2:11-12 today, let it deepen your understanding of what Christmas truly means. It is more than lights and festivities; it is the celebration of God’s love breaking into our world through Jesus Christ.
May this truth fill your heart with peace and joy today and every day: “For unto you is born this day…a Savior.”
Scripture Reading for the Day
Hebrews 9 The New International Version
Worship in the Earthly Tabernacle
9 Now the first covenant had regulations for worship and also an earthly sanctuary. 2 A tabernacle was set up. In its first room were the lampstand and the table with its consecrated bread; this was called the Holy Place. 3 Behind the second curtain was a room called the Most Holy Place, 4 which had the golden altar of incense and the gold-covered ark of the covenant. This ark contained the gold jar of manna, Aaron’s staff that had budded, and the stone tablets of the covenant. 5 Above the ark were the cherubim of the Glory, overshadowing the atonement cover. But we cannot discuss these things in detail now.
6 When everything had been arranged like this, the priests entered regularly into the outer room to carry on their ministry. 7 But only the high priest entered the inner room, and that only once a year, and never without blood, which he offered for himself and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance. 8 The Holy Spirit was showing by this that the way into the Most Holy Place had not yet been disclosed as long as the first tabernacle was still functioning. 9 This is an illustration for the present time, indicating that the gifts and sacrifices being offered were not able to clear the conscience of the worshiper. 10 They are only a matter of food and drink and various ceremonial washings—external regulations applying until the time of the new order.
The Blood of Christ
11 But when Christ came as high priest of the good things that are now already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not made with human hands, that is to say, is not a part of this creation. 12 He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption. 13 The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. 14 How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!
15 For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.
16 In the case of a will, it is necessary to prove the death of the one who made it, 17 because a will is in force only when somebody has died; it never takes effect while the one who made it is living. 18 This is why even the first covenant was not put into effect without blood. 19 When Moses had proclaimed every command of the law to all the people, he took the blood of calves, together with water, scarlet wool and branches of hyssop, and sprinkled the scroll and all the people. 20 He said, “This is the blood of the covenant, which God has commanded you to keep.” 21 In the same way, he sprinkled with the blood both the tabernacle and everything used in its ceremonies. 22 In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.
23 It was necessary, then, for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these sacrifices, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. 24 For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made with human hands that was only a copy of the true one; he entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God’s presence. 25 Nor did he enter heaven to offer himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own. 26 Otherwise Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But he has appeared once for all at the culmination of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself. 27 Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, 28 so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.
