When: The night watch.
What: Protect the sheep from predators and thieves.
Why: The flocks outside Bethlehem were reserved for sacrifice at the nearby temple in Jerusalem.
And one holy night, more than 2000 years ago, shepherds were the ones blessed to receive a birth announcement from heaven, witness the glory of God, and hear His angel choir. As the shepherds went to find the infant King, did they try to echo the song they heard? Did they describe and repeat the refrain of ‘Glory to God’ to Mary, Joseph, and Jesus? The shepherds were so jazzed, their praises continued even after they returned (Luke 2:20).
May our hearts join them this Christmas as we, too, celebrate the coming of our Savior. It may be an ancient song, but we can make it new by adding a melody and offering it to the One most worthy. The angels’ lyrics were “Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased” (Luke 2:14 New Living Translation). Let’s bring Him our best, and who knows, we may be joined by a behind-the-scenes back-up choir, or at least we can imagine we are!
