Friends!!! I am so excited to share with you, I have the incredible opportunity to guest blog for my church, Mannahouse, for the month of December! Today we are discussing what Baby Jesus provided the Shepherds who visited him the night of his birth.Please join me for this Christmas Blog Series and please paste the link to share it with friends and family! THEN >>> Invite them to church on Sunday.You can see that post and addresses for the location closest to you on my church’s site at Mannahouse.church/blog or just follow along on Andersonswife below the subscription notification.[blog_subscription_form subscribe_text=“Enter your email to subscribe to notifications from this site”]Happy Holidays Mannahouse Family! Let’s pull back the curtains on the Christmas story from another angle this week. I specifically want to look at the shepherds who visit baby Jesus the night he was born. Let’s start with the word…Luke 2:8 “In the same region, shepherds were staying out in the fields and keeping watch at night over their flock. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angels said to them, “Don’t be afraid, for look, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all people. Today in the city of David a Savior was born for you, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you: You will find a baby wrapped tightly in cloth and lying in a manger.” Suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel, praising God and saying: “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to people he favors!”Verse 15 “When the angels had left them and returned to heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go straight to Bethlehem and see what happened, which the Lord has made known to us.”They hurried off and found both Mary and Joseph, and the baby who was lying in the manger. After seeing them, they reported the message they were told about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary was treasuring up all these things in her heart and meditating on them. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had seen and heard, which were just as they have been told.”I love this part of the Christmas story. Why? Because shepherds were just your common person, however everyone needed a shepherd. From the rich to the poor they all needed this common servant. While working in the dark of the night, protecting their sheep from wild beasts or thieves an angel appears and shares with them, where Jesus the Messiah was born. They left their post and went to see Jesus. It didn’t matter that it was dark, what mattered was their hope was confirmed when they saw that little baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger. Jesus as a baby provided hope, that the salvation of every man was near, and the same is true to day. It doesn’t matter how dark our lives are, we can always run to meet Jesus and have a life changing experience. Fortunately for us, we can receive the free gift of salvation, since Jesus has died on the cross and rose from the dead, holding all the power of all sin, death and all darkness. Hope is for everyone. Salvation is for everyone. It doesn’t matter how dark our situations are, how painful or cold, we can meet Jesus. Jesus our hope.Thank you for following my first Christmas Blog Series, specifically designed for my church this month. I’d love to see this artical shared! Please go to mannahouse.church/blog, then copy and paste the link in your facebook status or on twitter to get the word out!xo, Steph

Image provided by Mannahouse Creative Team