Unto us

One summer’s evening, camping in remote Oregon seated by a glowing campfire, my husband and I watched the starry sky. The Milky Way was there to see, in plain sight. Silent. Big. It seemed we were the only audience.

It is a marvel to me that when our universe was created by God, the morning stars sang together. What would that sound like? The angels were not silent either. They shouted! Job 38:7 …while the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy.

The shepherds were the first to be told the good news about Christ’s birth. They went to Bethlehem to see.

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.⁹An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. ¹⁰But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. ¹¹Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. ¹²This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

¹³Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

¹⁴“Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

¹⁵When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” (Luke 2:8-15 NIV).

The story is told many times in Christmas Carols. Over and over, songs tell how Emmanuel–God with us–has come. Sometimes we stay at the manger scene where the shepherds are gazing at the babe. Yet, after the shepherds worshiped the baby, they told others.

¹⁷When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child,¹⁸and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them (Luke 2:17-18 NIV).