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CONNIE: So, you’re out in the fields, minding your own business, tending sheep, when all of a sudden an angel appears and tells you there’s something you ought to go see in town. What are you going to do?

Giving God’s trumpet a Certain Sound for more than 75 years, this is the Voice of Prophecy.

CONNIE: Hello, I’m Connie Jeffery,

LONNIE: and I’m Lonnie Melashenko. Connie, a few years ago I had the privilege of taking a camera crew over to Israel, and we went down near Bethlehem and out into the fields where shepherds still tend their flocks of sheep and goats.

CONNIE: I’ve seen some of the videos you produced over there—it must have been fascinating to kind of put yourself into the shoes (sandals, I guess), of the men who first heard the announcement of Jesus’ birth.

LONNIE: It was. We spent several hours out there in the field. We even built a little campfire, to get a feel for what it must have been like. But still, it’s hard to imagine—I mean, it must have been terrifying—here you are, sitting out in the field. Nothing much ever happens out there, unless maybe a wandering wolf comes by and stirs up trouble. And then all of a sudden, here’s this bright, angelic being standing in front of you.

CONNIE: I think I’d be dialing 911 on my cell phone!

LONNIE: Well, I don’t think they had that option in those days. But I don’t doubt that they were frightened. After all, Luke tells us that the first words out of the angel’s mouth were “Do not be afraid.”

CONNIE: And then he went on to tell the shepherds he had good news for them, didn’t he?

LONNIE: That’s right. And today our program is going to focus on that Good News—the story about the birth of Jesus—as it’s told in the Gospel of Luke.

CONNIE: If you were with us last week, you remember that we focused on the story as it’s told in Matthew. This week we’ll tell only those parts that Luke shares with us. And the stories are different, aren’t they Lonnie.

LONNIE: Certain aspects are. For instance, Luke tends to broaden the scope of his Gospel a bit more than Matthew. Many times he emphasizes that Jesus ministered to Gentiles as well as Jews. Luke is the only one who tells the story of the Good Samaritan, for example.

CONNIE: Does that perspective affect the way he tells about the birth of Jesus?

LONNIE: Well, when Luke gives an account of Jesus’ family background, he takes it back quite a few generations farther than Matthew, who begins with Abraham. Luke goes clear back to Adam—calling him “the son of God.” So, he puts Jesus in the larger setting—as the Savior of all the descendants of Adam. And as a true Son of God.

CONNIE: And the fact that the angel announced the birth first to shepherds—people on the lower rungs of the social ladder—that’s an important point too isn’t it? It assures us that Jesus is the Savior of all people, not just the wealthy or powerful.
LONNIE: That’s true. And that’s a good place for us to start in our telling of the Night of Nativity from Luke’s Gospel. Luke also gives us some background on the birth of John the Baptist and how Mary went to visit John’s mother Elizabeth. But we’re focusing on the actual Christmas story today. So let’s begin with the angel’s announcement to the shepherds. We’ll use music to help tell the story throughout our program, and one song that I think really captures the moment of wonder at that announcement is “No Eye Had Seen,” written by Amy Grant and Michael W. Smith.

“No Eye Had Seen”, Amy Grant and Michael W. Smith, from Christmas CD, Track 6 (#7010052727 Reunion) TIME: 2:55

The Christmas Shepherds

Imagine what it must have been for the shepherds—how did they react? How did the sheep react? They’re easily spooked, you know. What a cacophony of baa-ing there must have been as the angel spoke those words:

“ ‘Do not be afraid; for see -- I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger’ ” (Luke 2:10-12 NRSV).

If that sort of an announcement would leave you speechless and feeling a little frightened, try to picture what must have happened next, when “suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying,

‘Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace among those whom he favors!’ ” (Luke 2:13-14 NRSV).
Simple shepherds, in your fields, how did you feel when suddenly you were being serenaded by the finest choir in the universe? Men whose only experience with music was probably the sound of a little shepherd’s flute being played among the hills, suddenly heard more beautiful music than had ever been heard on earth.

Surely it was a night they would remember and tell about for the rest of their lives.
And how did they respond? Well, I’m glad to tell you that they didn’t just pass off the angels’ appearance as a fluke of nature, or maybe a mass hallucination or something. They knew that what they had experienced was real. And they weren’t about to let an opportunity like this pass them by. No, Luke tells us, “When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.’ So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger” (Luke 2:15, 16 NRSV).

What about you, friend? Have you heard the angels sing this Christmas season? Have you heard the invitation to go to Bethlehem, to see the Christ Child? Have you searched Him out for yourself, and found Him?

In the cacophony of voices that surround us at this rushing, busy, hyperactive time of year, it’s possible to miss the sounds coming from heaven, isn’t it? To let endless the round of activities, office parties, shopping trips, and even church events drown out the songs of angels.

I’ve often wondered why the angels chose simple shepherds to sing their song to. Why not put on your show for the king in his palace instead? But then I remember what it was like to walk in those quiet fields outside Bethlehem. There was a peacefulness and quiet there that you don’t find in downtown Jerusalem, or even downtown Bethlehem.

This Christmas, may I encourage you to take some time to be quiet? In a quiet place? And to listen. Listen once again for the angels’ songs. And let the wonder of the moment of the revelation of the Christ child be born anew in your own heart. Go with the shepherds to that lonely manger. See the mother with her newborn. And wonder once again.

“What Child Is This”, Charlotte Church, from Dream a Dream CD

For the shepherds, there was no question left in their mind about who this child might be. They had seen the angels. They had heard the songs. And in Bethlehem they had found just what they had gone looking for. For them, there was no question. And they didn’t mind telling Mary and Joseph—and anyone else who would listen, for that matter. As Luke tells us, “When [the shepherds] saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them” (Luke 2:17-18 NRSV).

But most amazed of all must have been Mary herself. Yes, she had seen an angel before Jesus was born. Yes, she had been promised that the Son who would be born to her would be very special—would be a king.

But did she expect such fanfare from heaven on the night of His birth? There had been no fanfare—not even the slightest recognition—from the people of Bethlehem. No special preparations for the birth of their King. Not even a decent crib to lay Him in—only a straw-filled manger.

What a contrast between the attitude of men and the attitude of heaven. No wonder, “Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart” (Luke 2:19, NRSV).

“I Wonder as I Wander”, The National Christian Choir, from Birthday of a King CD

If she wondered then, on that night of the shepherds’ visit, what must it have been for her, six weeks later, when she and Joseph made the short trip to Jerusalem to dedicate Jesus in the temple?

As they went through the formalities, the routine was interrupted not once but twice. First by an ancient-looking man named Simeon, and then by the old widow Anna.
As Simeon approached, he held out his arms, and somehow Mary knew it would be all right to let this veteran prayer warrior hold her child. Simeon broke out into song,

“ ‘Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace,
according to your word;
for my eyes have seen your salvation,
which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
a light for revelation to the Gentiles
and for glory to your people Israel’ ” (Luke 2:29-32 NRSV).

Both Joseph and Mary were dumbfounded at this development. But Simeon wasn’t finished yet. Now he looked wistfully at the young parents, and continued to speak, pronouncing the blessing of God upon them and their home. Then, fixing his gaze on Mary alone, he said, “ ‘This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed—and a sword will pierce your own soul too’ ” (Luke 2:34, 35 NRSV).

Anna then joined in the rejoicing, sharing with all who would listen the good news that this was a very special baby indeed. One who would bring great joy, but also a burden of sorrow, as He carried out the mission He had come to earth to fulfill.

“Born to Die”, The National Christian Choir, from Birthday of a King CD

What a mission that Child was destined to. Born—as all of us are—to die. But not to die simply because his body grew tired and worn out. Born to die to give life to the whole world—to all who would accept Him and the salvation He had come to bring.

That was His mission. His mission for you, and for me. His life was lived so that we might have life. His death was died so that we might not face the terrors of eternal death.

Have you received this Savior, and His gift of life into your heart? Why not do it right now, friend. This Christmas season. This time when all the world hears about Jesus. Take it a step farther. Don’t just hear about Jesus. Hear His call to your own heart. And let Him in.

5. “O Come to My Heart”, Melashenko Family Singers, from Christmas CD