The Shepherds' Night: When Angels Tore Open Heaven | Advent Day 24

The night was ordinary. Sheep dotted the hillside. Men huddled against the cold, taking turns on watch. Stars burned in the dark sky. Nothing suggested that this night would be different from the thousands that had preceded it. Then heaven tore open. An angel of the Lord appeared. One moment, darkness. The next moment, glory blazing around them. Fear filled them. Terror that makes strong men fall to the ground. These were not soft men. They fought off predators with their hands. They knew danger. But this was different. This was another realm breaking into their ordinary world. "Fear not. For behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people." The phrase "good news" translates the Greek "euangelizo." From this word we get "Gospel." The angel proclaimed the first Gospel. Standing on a Palestinian hillside, surrounded by sheep and smelling of lanolin and smoke, these shepherds became the first audience for the message that would change everything. For all the people. The scope was universal from the first moment. Not just for priests. Not just for scholars. The shepherds themselves, marginalized and dismissed by respectable society, stood included in that "all." "For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord." Three titles compressed into one sentence. Savior, meaning rescue from danger, deliverance. Christ, the Greek translation of "Messiah," the anointed one Jewish hope had centered on for centuries. Lord, the Greek "Kyrios," which in the Septuagint translated the sacred name YHWH. This child was not merely a human deliverer. He was God in flesh. "And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger." What strange identification. Not a palace. Not a royal crib. A feeding trough. The sign that would identify the Savior, Christ, and Lord was precisely his humility. You will know him by where he lies. Then the sky exploded with company. A multitude of the heavenly host. The word "host" speaks of an army. These were not cherubic babies floating on clouds. These were the armies of heaven. They appeared not to fight but to sing. "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!" The Gloria. Christians have sung these words in cathedrals and catacombs, in persecuted gatherings and triumphant celebrations, for two thousand years. Bartolome Esteban Murillo painted what happened next around 1650. Rough men kneel with dignity. Their weathered faces show wonder, not sophistication. Working hands, calloused from staffs and stones, reach toward the child. Light pours from the infant onto surrounding figures. What began as blazing terror on the hillside has become warm radiance in the stable. One shepherd holds a lamb. They bring gifts from their flock. But they unknowingly present a lamb to the Lamb. This child will grow to become the sacrifice that ends all sacrifices. Consider who received the first announcement. Not priests in the Temple. Not scribes in Jerusalem. Not Herod in his palace. Shepherds. Men whose occupation rendered them ceremonially unclean. Men whom respectable religion overlooked. This choice previews the Gospel's trajectory. Good news reaches first to those who know they need it. David had shepherded his father's flocks near this town. Samuel anointed him king while he smelled of sheep. Now David's greater Son was born in David's town, announced first to men who did what David did. The shepherds responded with haste. "Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened." No delay. No deliberation. They went. What they found matched what they were told. A baby in a manger. Humble surroundings. The sign was exactly as promised. They saw and believed. This is Christmas Eve. Tonight we stand with the shepherds. We hear the angels. We receive the news that has resounded through every century since. Good news of great joy for all people. A Savior, who is Christ the Lord. The shepherds went with haste. No delay. No committee meeting. They heard and they moved. The news demanded response. Sitting with knowledge is not the same as acting on it. Go to Bethlehem. Whatever your Bethlehem is, go there. Wherever Christ awaits your worship, go now. The shepherds returned glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. The journey to the manger produces worship on the return. This Christmas Eve, receive what the angels announce. Good news. Great joy. All people. A Savior. Christ. Lord. Seven words that summarize everything. Let these words wash over you. Let them sink past familiarity into fresh wonder. Gloria in excelsis Deo. Go find Him lying in a manger. He waits there for you. Tomorrow the Word becomes flesh and dwells among us.