Holy Night

The night was like thousands of other nights that came before it. The sheep were in the sheepfold and one of the shepherds guarded the door of the fold. He watched the flock to make sure a thief or a wild animal didn’t take any of his sheep. Some of the sheep were sleeping and others moving around and the smell of animals filled the air. The sky was clear and countless stars shone in the black sky.

The shepherds were doing the same job their ancestor King David had done as a young man about a thousand years before. The flocks grazed in the same fields around Bethlehem. How many times had they cared for their sheep and recalled David’s words, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want…” and understood the truth of embedded there.  

Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared! The indescribable heavenly light of God’s glory shone down on them and dispelled the darkness. Shafts of fear shot through the shepherds. The angels said:

“Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which shall be for all the people; for today in the city of David has been born for you a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you; you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

The shepherds couldn’t move as they tried to comprehend what they were seeing and hearing. Before they could even form a thought, suddenly the first angel was joined by God’s army of angels. The multitude of angels spoke as one and praised God saying:

“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men which whom He is pleased.”

Then as suddenly as they appeared, the angel army returned to the throne of God in heaven. The shepherds stared into the starry sky. When they could speak, they left immediately for Bethlehem to see what the Lord had revealed to them through His angels.

The shepherds ran into the village as fast as they could. They found Mary, Joseph and the baby lying in a manger, exactly as the angels described it. They looked down at the newborn baby and remembered what the angel said. This child was the fulfillment of every prophecy. This child was the Messiah they had been waiting for. This child was the Savior of the world.

And God had announced it to them. Not to King Herod, or to the high priests or to the Levites, or Pharisees, or the Sadducees. God told the shepherds first that the Lamb of God had arrived. They knew better than anyone that perfect, spotless lambs were the ones sacrificed for the sins of the people.

Once they left the stable, the shepherds told everyone what they had heard and seen. Everyone who heard their account of the night marveled at their words.

Finally, the shepherds made their way back toward their flocks. They praised God and gave Him the glory for all that had been revealed to them. For thousands of nights after this holy night, shepherds would look into the starry sky and remember.

We still praise God for this holy night when the stars were brightly shining.

Carla Killough McClafferty