AN ORDINARY NIGHT
An ordinary night. Stars twinkled like a blanket of diamonds stretched across the sky. Sheep peacefully slept under the eye of their shepherds. An evening breeze chilled the air. An ordinary night...but then, the extraordinary occurred.
A blinding flash lit the sky. A magnificent heavenly being hovered overhead. All fell to the ground, trembling in terror. But the angel spoke words of comfort. "Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger."
Instantly, thousands of radiant beings crowded the atmosphere, singing, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men." Then the angels vanished. Rising slowly, no one spoke. Finally, a shepherd declared, "The Messiah has been born! Let's go into Bethlehem and see him with our own eyes!" Down the hills they descended, pondering why the angel had said the Messiah would be lying in a manger; a feeding trough! They found him in a limestone cave, converted into a stable.
There he slept. A few hours old, yet existing from all eternity. Powerless, yet All-Powerful. Unable to speak, yet his words had birthed the stars. The Great I Am, encased in flesh. The shepherds fell to their knees in worship.
Eventually they returned to their flocks, but their lives were never the same. The shepherds had encountered Almighty God face-to-face. For thousands of years, mankind had cowered beneath the bondage of sin and death—but now we were free. The Savior was born!
It's amazing. God chose shepherds to be the first witnesses of His Son's birth. Not the governor, nor high priest. But shepherds, the lowest class of commoners. Shepherds, whose testimony was not allowed in court. Shepherds, who were prevented from entering the synagogue. That's not how we would have done it— but it's one of numerous paradoxes surrounding The Incarnation. I suppose the Lord wanted us to know that He came for all men...not just the wealthy and powerful; but for each of us.
And He still comes. Today, let's open our hearts and worship Him, as did the shepherds. Like them, we'll discover our lives will never be the same.
How might I encounter Jesus in a powerful way as the shepherds did? How can I respond?
“Lord Jesus, I worship you this day as my King and Savior who delivers me from death, and restores life to my soul.”