I won’t lie. I have a guilty pleasure at Christmas-time that I refuse to give up no matter how much my kids tease me, and that is the Andy Williams Christmas album. Oh, come on, you know the one…
“It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year
There’ll be much mistltoeing, And hearts will be glowing When love ones are near,
It’s The Most Wonderful Time – It’s The Most Wonderful Time It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year”
Just admit it, there is just nothing like it, and what I love about it is that oftentimes in the middle of the overwhelming hustle and bustle of the holiday season Andy almost always convinces me that Christmas-time is stress-free and trouble-free. Of course, truth be told, after two minutes and fifty-three seconds it’s done and I am instantly back in the bustle.
As much as I love “It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year”, I want to take a moment and share with you another song that never times out, and no matter how many times I hear it I cannot help but find great joy in it. It’s a song that changed the lives of a ragtag group of shepherds two thousand years ago and I believe it still has the power to change ours today if we pay attention.
In the second chapter of the Gospel of Luke, Jesus Christ has just been born, wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid into the manger, because sadly, there was no room at the inn. Almost immediately the story shifts to the fields outside of Bethlehem where the Bible tells that shepherds were out keeping watch over their flocks by night.
And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” (Luke 2:10-13 ESV)
Did you hear that song? Isn’t it amazing? I mean it has a beat that you just cannot let go of and a sense of fulfilled hopefulness that Williams on his best day cannot even touch. And even more important it’s a song that affects us. The shepherds are proof of that.
They heard the announcement.
The shepherds didn’t close their ears, they didn’t say, “look we’re really busy down here with these flocks, can you please quiet that racket.” No, they listened to the announcement the angels shared, and it affected them. How do we know that?
The greatest acknowledgment of how something affects us is in our action. You hear it, you see it and it causes you to act. For the shepherds, it was certainly true. I often imagine them saying, “Did you see that? I saw that! Then let’s go see that!” They paid attention they heard and they acted on what they heard.
They responded to the announcement.
“When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another,’Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.’ ” (Luke 2:15 ESV).
Notice “when the angels went away”, that right away the shepherds decide to see this baby they were told about. They don’t hesitate. They don’t get into long-winded arguments regarding the possibility of angels, and they don’t look around to see if anyone else saw what they saw. They don’t speculate or debate, they just act.
The shepherds illustrate the truth that when the Lord speaks to us, He does so with the desire to get us moving. But what often happens is that even though we know God is speaking to us, nudging us, we are afraid of what others might think or say. We are afraid of how we might look. Are we so afraid of being wrong, or looking wrong that even if what we see and hear is so right, we will abandon God’s call instead of taking a chance on joy?
They celebrated with joy.
“And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.” (Luke 2:20 ESV)
The shepherds heard, they acted and friends, it changed their lives. In fact, so great was what they heard and saw that they couldn’t help but tell everyone. You know, like that great restaurant you recently dined at, or the movie you just saw last week, and now you are on a mission to tell everyone you know about it. They returned telling everyone all that they had seen and heard, and here is the kicker: just as it was told to them! This was so amazing it required no embellishment. Can you imagine that?
Now, I am sure there were still days when shepherding the sheep was a real pain. Days when the hustle and bustle were overwhelming. None of that changed for them, but what did change was their hearts. They found a kind of joy in the message and the manger that the world can never deliver or deny. They found a joy that doesn’t lull you into thinking everything is okay, but instead causes you to do something, see something and be changed by something.
I want to close with a story I read years ago in Charles Allen and Charles Wallace’s wonderful book, “Christmas”. In it they imagine an aged shepherd who was present in the fields as the angels sang their great song, who is now talking to his great grandson.
“A long, long time ago, when I was little more than a boy like you, I was out in the hills one night with some other shepherds, keeping watch over the flocks. And then an angel of the Lord came upon us and the glory of the Lord shone roundabout us. And we were so afraid, But the angel said, ‘Fear not…for unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord… and you shall find the babe in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.’
Suddenly the old man pursed his lips and there was silence. The young boy looked up at his grandfather with wide, puzzled eyes and said: ‘But, granddaddy, is that all? What did you do when you heard the good news? Was what the angel said really true? Was the Christ Child ever really born?’
The old shepherd sadly shook his head and answered, ‘I never knew. I never went to see. Some say that it is all a myth. Others say they found in Him and that it certainly was good news of the greatest joy ever – light of the world, the Son of God Himself. But for me, I could never be quite sure. I never did go to see.’“
Have you heard? Have you responded? have you experienced their joy? Friends, there is a song that surpasses every song ever written and it will be sung in churches all over our community on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. A song that once it gets into your head and heart it promises to forever change you – and its infectious chorus is joy!
From our family to yours, Merry Christmas!
