Run, Shepherd, Run

It’s night time in a field near Bethlehem. The sky is clear; the stars are bright as bright can be. You and your fellow shepherds are keeping watch, because predators stalk at night. Then SUDDENLY light flashes all around you. It’s not like any light you’ve seen before. Is it lightning? You start trembling. To say you’re startled is an understatement, but it’s okay, because an angel starts talking to you (like that happens every starry night out in a shepherd’s field). The angel tries to calm you down, and you try to comply, but then you hear, “…a Savior has been born to you; He is the Messiah, the Lord.”

What? Your whole nation has been waiting for hundreds of years to hear that news, and God has just announced it to YOU. Have any of the religious rabbis or other rulers above your pay grade heard about this yet? But hold on to your staff. God’s not done.

As you stand there with the glory of God wrapped around you, a myriad of angels lights up the entire sky, shouting and filling the heavens with glorious, loud, triumphant, exuberant shouts of praise.

This is how Luke 2:13-15 describes it:

“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.’”

If you’re one of those shepherds, what do you do at this point? Are you casually commenting, “Hey, let’s go”? Wouldn’t you be excited? Maybe breathing hard, mouth wide open as you gape at the sparkling sky? You just saw and heard a MULTITUDE, a HOST of angels glorifying God. What should you do next?

It’s time to find Jesus. Did you hear the angel correctly? The Messiah and Lord of heaven and earth has arrived in David’s city? Of course, you’re going to Bethlehem this very night. Run, dear shepherd, run!

But remember, according to the first angel, you’re not looking for the kingly type. You’re looking for a Baby in a manger, probably in a stable. As you go, a warm peace embraces you, and to your amazement, your excitement settles into quiet anticipation. Then you see a small stable by an inn. You stop, look at each other, and nod with joy. Yes, this could be the place. You approach the stable in awe, because somehow it feels like the temple on Yom Kippur. His parents smile at your story and welcome you as though you already belong in the family.

Finally, you see the Baby. Is that moonlight on His face? The word “glory” will never be the same to you. It’s as though all creation has been hushed by the divine. You kneel. You can even hear the Baby breathe, and you remember Moses who said, “Show me Your glory.” Did the gentle breeze Moses heard sound like this Baby’s breaths?

It’s time to be still and know that He is God.