Signs

Luke 2:12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

Signs are helpful. They tell us where we are. They tell us where to turn. Have you ever made a wrong turn because there was no sign? Have you ever turned onto a road because of a sign but then wondered later if you made a wrong turn or missed a road sign somewhere along the way? It is to our benefit that highway departments periodically put highway number signs along the road to remind us that we are on the right highway. However, they rarely put signs every mile on the open road. The assumption is that you may need an occasional reference, but once you have started on the right road you are still on the right road.

God also occasionally gives a second sign to confirm his guidance for us. In this familiar part of the Christmas story, a group of angels visits some shepherds with the news of the Savior’s birth. That was a dramatic sign in its own right, but notice that the angel tells the shepherds they will see another sign to confirm this message: a baby in a manger. The shepherd saw that second sign “just as they had been told.” (vs 20) They knew they were on the right pathway. They knew God’s message could be trusted.

Perhaps today you are between road signs. That does not mean you have made a wrong turn. God may have another sign just ahead.