The story unfolds vividly in my mind’s eye.  It begins on an ordinary night beneath the vast, twinkling canopy of the Judean sky; shepherds kept watch over their flocks. These men, simple and hardy, knew the land intimately.

Suddenly, the serene beauty of the starlit night was pierced by the presence of an angel, clad in radiant glory that eclipsed the brightest star they had ever seen.  The Shepherds were fearful.  The angel spoke, an authoritative voice that stilled the night and struck awe into their hearts with a declaration: “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.”

Of course, they were afraid, every time an angel appears, they say the same thing, “Do not be afraid.” Their  words were about to echo the ancient prophecies cherished for generations. 

“For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.”   

Suddenly, the sky burst into an overwhelming spectacle of light and song, louder than all earthly choirs, the heavens unveiled a multitude of angels, voices intertwining in heavenly harmony, declaring the glory of God.

“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom His favor rests.”  

I would certainly be stunned and  amazed at this sight.  Similarly, the shepherds stood in awe by this joyful chorus, filled with hope mingled with highest praise.

As the heavenly host departed, silence filled the air.  The Shepherds didn’t worry what they looked like, or were concerned were their lowly positions in life.  They acted without hesitation and their feet turned swiftly towards the city of David which is Bethlehem.  There they found the infant King, wrapped in swaddled humbleness, lying in a manger, just as they were told. The stark simplicity of a stable seemed an unlikely place for the savior of the world to be born.    

Returning to their fields, these men transformed into bearers of an astonishingly good news, evangelists of an uncontainable joy. They shared the story of angels appearing and the birth of Christ the Lord as they went.  A savior, a redeemer – the one who would save us from our sins.  I imagine that on many nights, as they gathered beneath the familiar sky, they would recall the angels and reflect on the miracle they had witnessed, wrapped in infant form.

In their ordinary existence, they had encountered the extraordinary.  God, who consistently chooses the humble for His magnificent purposes, once again turned to the lowly shepherds of Judea to herald His grand design—Emmanuel, God with us.

Today, much like the shepherds, we are invited to draw closer and witness Christ for ourselves.  We need to look again. The best gift given to us, is Jesus. And that my friend, is why we celebrate Christmas.

And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.”  And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

 “Glory to God in the highest,
    and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”

When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger.  And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.  Luke 2:8-20