Luke 2:8-20 GOD’S WORD Translation
Angels Announce the Birth of Jesus
8 Shepherds were in the fields near Bethlehem. They were taking turns watching their flock during the night. 9 An angel from the Lord suddenly appeared to them. The glory of the Lord filled the area with light, and they were terrified. 10 The angel said to them, “Don’t be afraid! I have good news for you, a message that will fill everyone with joy. 11 Today your Savior, Christ the Lord, was born in David’s city. 12 This is how you will recognize him: You will find an infant wrapped in strips of cloth and lying in a manger.”
13 Suddenly, a large army of angels appeared with the angel. They were praising God by saying,
14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace to those who have his good will!”
15 The angels left them and went back to heaven. The shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see what the Lord has told us about.”
16 They went quickly and found Mary and Joseph with the baby, who was lying in a manger. 17 When they saw the child, they repeated what they had been told about him. 18 Everyone who heard the shepherds’ story was amazed.
19 Mary treasured all these things in her heart and always thought about them.
20 As the shepherds returned to their flock, they glorified and praised God for everything they had seen and heard. Everything happened the way the angel had told them.
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
Silent Night, Holy Night is a beloved Christmas carol with humble beginnings which dates back to 1816.
It was written by a young priest in Germany after a longstanding war and fall in political and social status, this song was inspired when he took a long walk one cold winter night, noticing the cold stillness and peacefulness of his little town.
Since then, it has risen, been picked up by multiple composers and performed in a ton of churches all across the world, from quaint churches in small towns into the largest of majestic cathedrals, and even presenting it to the King of Prussia.
All that to say, there is a beautiful message intertwined between the beautiful words in this song.
It touches each of us who sing it on a different level and in an intimate way.
Calling us to pause and reflect and take notice of what is a silent, a peaceful, and calm, in the ultimate revelation of the glory of God in the highest – a holy night.
In the midst of all the political ruckus, in the midst of a government census to raise more taxes, to gain more wealth and more prestige for the government,
In the midst of all the subsequent consequences – whole families are uprooted to travel vast distances to places where they were born as Joseph, Mary were.
All kinds of hoops to jump through at the very utmost inconvenient of times.
Mary is ready to give birth – how is it to ride on the back of a donkey, mile after mile, up and down as the donkey walks upon and over the sandy and rocky soil?
All this supporting the weight of a child in her womb, near end term pregnancy.
The weight of mine months weighing heavily already upon her teenage body.
Would Joseph had made her walk any of that distance leading the donkey as he sat on the donkey’s back – we would have a much different opinion of Joseph.
Up and down off the donkey so Mary could walk around all through the night.
The weight of all that responsibility upon both of their lives, generations more.
Can we read their minds right now – when will the night ever come to an end?
And just when they hope they have come to their desired end – a place of rest and a place where they could attend to the labor and delivery and care of their newborn son – what do they hear that night – “Sorry, but no room at the Inn!”
And somewhere off in the distance, in the middle of the night there are a bunch of shepherds going about their regular rotations of guarding someone’s sheep.
A quiet night for them – like any other night which has not created for them a regular routine – suddenly a host of angelic beings explodes great light into the darkness – praising God – bursting into song, singing loudly 14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those who have his good will!”
How is that for a senses shattering wake up call in the middle of the night?
How does that put your “regular ho hum hum drum” routines on the edge of “Danger, Danger, and pending doom and all out “fight or flight” sheer panic?”
Then just as fast – the night settles down as the angelic hosts disappear.
And the shepherds are left wondering what just happened?
Wondering about the mysterious words the angelic host just left them with:
10 The angel said to them, “Don’t be afraid! I have good news for you, a message that will fill everyone with joy. 11 Today your Savior, Christ the Lord, was born in David’s city. 12 This is how you will recognize him: You will find an infant wrapped in strips of cloth and lying in a manger.”
So much to sort out – actually too much to sort out in the middle of what had started out to be just another quiet and relatively peaceful regular night shift.
Just another of those quiet and relatively peaceful regular night in Bethlehem?
A family in need of a place to bring their first born son into the world – but there is no place – there is no room in the inn – so they’re on their own to find a place.
The noise coming from the inside all of those occupied rooms in the at night?
An explosion of the brightest light anyone had ever seen, night eyes having to suddenly accommodate themselves to that light, ears which a long tuned into the long expected sounds of the silent darkness – on alert for all the dangers – now have been rocked, shocked by the songs of “Glory to God in the highest!”
Reading these words in the year 2023, it does something to our weary souls.
So, lets try to settle all this down “was it a silent night holy night?” a bit …
Just the words of the first verse sets the much needed, required tone for us all;
Silent Night. Holy Night. All is calm. All is bright. round yon virgin mother and child.
Holy infant, so tender and mild, sleep in heavenly peace, sleep in heavenly peace.
These words are so easy to utter, but truly being silent and seeking His holiness in a season that is wrapped and consumed with all the pressures and demands to do more, be more, get more, can drive us to a place of unforeseen busyness and even disappointment – unfortunately, the end result can steal our peace!
Stepping away from it all, recalling the history of this hymn reminds us to step away from all the noise, open our hearts in a way to receive the gift of stillness.
2. Silent night, holy night, shepherds quake at the sight; glories stream from heaven afar, heavenly hosts sing Alleluia! Christ the Savior is born, Christ the Savior is born!
3. Silent night, holy night, Son of God, love’s pure light; radiant beams from thy holy face with the dawn of redeeming grace, Jesus, Lord, at thy birth, Jesus, Lord, at thy birth.
4. Silent night, holy night, wondrous star, lend thy light; with the angels let us sing,
Alleluia to our King; Christ the Savior is born, Christ the Savior is born!
1. In the bleak midwinter, frosty wind made moan,
earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone;
snow had fallen, snow on snow, snow on snow,
in the bleak midwinter, long ago.
Text: Christina G. Rossetti, 1830-1894
In the bleak midwinter, may you and I find time to seek the silent moments this season, where you and I are met with the very highest glory of our Holy Creator.
Let the sound of that “silent” beautiful interaction allow us to lean in and rest, prompting us to praise Him for His faithfulness and rejoice in His Son’s birth!
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
Father God,
We come to You with weary but humble hearts full of thanksgiving. You are a kind and gracious Father, with such unspeakable love for us, giving Your one and only Son to take on our sins so that we can have a life with You outside this one (John 3:16).
Lord, I lift up those that are in need of rest. Those who are craving a silent night. I lift up the mom who is striving to make special memories for her children, only to just become overwhelmed by the stress of it all. I pray for the parent rocking a fussy baby to sleep in the wee hours of the morning, in need of much physical rest. I pray for the dad crunching the numbers, wondering how he is going to financially afford all the items on his child’s Christmas list. My heart and prayers go out to the lonely grand parents missing their children and wishing they were closer – as you are close to us.
O Gracious not so silent God, You know each and every one of us intimately and our dire situations that pull us away from You. Please remove the distractions, heavy burdens, and demands, and grant us Your peace. Replace the fallacies with Truth found in Your Word. Give us grace and space in our schedules to meet with You and be refueled by Your tender love. Create vacancies, make room in our hearts to receive that precious gift of stillness, silence, born from a night of your glory being revealed.
In the coming stillness of the night, We stand upon Your promise to extend rest for not just our physical, mental, and emotional well-being but to meet us and grow us spiritually as well. This is not just a gift we want to receive at Christmas but year-round as You extend Your mighty hand to those in need, calling us to take hold.
Please make room open our hearts and minds to accept the image of Your pure rest when we fall into the patterns of this World and become consumed with things that keep us restless. Things that keep our minds swirling all night. When we do this, we fail to recognize the nature of Who You are, distracts us from the good You are doing.
Thank you, God, for offering us the gift of a silent night and a bright and brighter and holy night in the gift of the birth of Your precious Son, as well as an invitation to call silently upon You to meet with us intimately. You deserve all our thanks and praise.
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
Loving God, Living God, Loving Hope, Living Hope, Loving Living Life His Way! "Many things are possible for the person who has hope. Even more is possible for the person who has faith. And still more is possible for the person who knows how to love. But everything is possible for the person who practices all three virtues." - Brother Lawrence (1605-1691), Practicing the Presence of God (1692). 