Let Heaven...

By Danny Saavedra

“There were some shepherds living in the same part of the country, keeping guard throughout the night over their flocks in the open fields. Suddenly an angel of the Lord stood by their side, the splendor of the Lord blazed around them, and they were terror-stricken. But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid! Listen, I bring you glorious news of great joy which is for all the people. This very day, in David’s town, a Savior has been born for you. He is Christ, the Lord. Let this prove it to you: you will find a baby, wrapped up and lying in a manger.’ And in a flash there appeared with the angel a vast host of the armies of Heaven, praising God, saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest Heaven! Peace upon earth among men of goodwill!’ When the angels left them and went back into Heaven, the shepherds said to each other, ‘Now let us go straight to Bethlehem and see this thing which the Lord has made known to us.’”—Luke 2:8–15 (PHILLIPS)

In Luke 2:10–14, we read about the greatest concert in history: the night the angels filled the sky to declare, “Glory to God in the highest Heaven! Peace upon earth among men of goodwill!” I love the J.B. Phillips translation of this passage because it says “a vast host of the armies of Heaven" implying a large number of angels—possibly over 70,000. You could say this was the army of the Great King proclaiming the greatness of the Lord on the night His Son—the Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace—was born!

Imagine being a shepherd in the fields on this night witnessing this indescribable scene of close to 100,000 angels filling the sky, praising in unison. On this night, heaven sang louder than ever before! Believe me, whatever picture you have in your head right now—no matter how awesome, fantastical, and majestic—it cannot do justice to the epic concert on that world-changing night when Christ was born. And it was all done to declare the good news that the Savior had been born unto us . . . the One who would bring peace to the earth.

There has never been, nor ever will be, news more spectacular than the Son of God making “himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant” and humbling “himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross” (Philippians 2:7–8 NIV) to deliver us from sin, death, and hell. But if you ask me, the angelic host isn’t the most amazing and beautiful part of this moment. I know what you’re probably thinking: Danny, what have I missed here? Well, it’s the audience God chose for this one-time-only concert! Of all the people He could have chosen to be the first to receive the news of Christ’s birth, He chose shepherds!

What’s wrong with shepherds? They seem like a tender bunch of bearded, animal-loving fellas. Well . . . to put it mildly, shepherds weren’t winning any popularity contests in biblical times. They were constantly around filthy animals and spent most of their lives outdoors. It doesn’t take much imagination to envision how stinky, dirty, rugged, and rough around the edges these men were.

I marvel at what God did by choosing these men to be the first to receive the greatest news of all time! This incredible, indescribable scene where angels declared “Glory to God in the highest” was announced to those whom society deemed to be among humanity’s lowest. These men probably never imagined that anyone would share anything important with them, much less being told the Lord has come!

Much like with Bethlehem, this aspect of the Christmas story shows us that God does things differently than we do. If God did things the way we would, He wouldn’t have sent His most precious, perfect Son to suffer and die on our behalf so we may have peace with Him—and mercy and love wouldn’t have triumphed over sin and death.

Praise God He is different from us! May our remembrance of this reality not only make this Christmas very merry, but I pray it will also inspire us to 1) follow the example of the Lord by giving hope and peace to those cast out by society and choosing to walk in grace, peace, love, and mercy, and 2) follow the example of the shepherds who “spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child” (Luke 2:17 NIV)!

Biblical meditation is about filling your mind with God’s Word, not emptying it. Some good ways to practice meditating on Scripture include reading it quietly, then out loud, and then praying it. You can do this individually or in a group with your family or friends! Today, practice meditation by reading Luke 2:8–20. Read it on your own first, then out loud, and then write down your favorite part. Finish by praying the Scripture!