More Than A Spectator!
It’s one thing to hear about or even to witness a great event, it’s an entirely different thing to experience it. Such was that night over two thousand years ago, when some shepherds out in the fields with their flock saw a bright light from heaven and heard a voice telling them to go and see a baby:
Heavenly Choir: To the highest heights of the universe, glory to God!
And on earth, peace among all people who bring pleasure to God!
15 As soon as the heavenly messengers disappeared into heaven, the shepherds were buzzing with conversation.
Shepherds: Let’s rush down to Bethlehem right now! Let’s see what’s happening! Let’s experience what the Lord has told us about! Luke 2:14-15 (The Voice)
I love this translation, because these shepherds were not just witnessing a sideshow – they became part of the show! They were able to enter into a stinking animal stable and feel its’ sacred transformation. For this was no ordinary baby – angels just don’t announce every baby born of man- this was God Himself coming through an immaculate conception into a world that didn’t know that they needed Him.
Papers all over the world announce the births of the royal babies born to the the princes of England. There was no press on duty that night; God chose instead to use shepherds – often disregarded and overlooked by their fellow man, to herald the birth of this royal King. And these shepherds could tell everyone the story because they had not just seen Him, they "experienced" Him – that holy night.
Maria