The Shepherds’ Grand Finale
Do you love a good musical?
One of the fringe benefits of working in New York City years ago was easy access to the theatre district. I saw as many shows as possible: Cats, Le Miserables, Starlight Express, and Miss Saigon to name a few. When I left the theatre, the show tunes replayed in my head, sometimes for days, and often a song engrained itself in me. The classic, Memory, in Cats, still carries special meaning, as does I Dreamed a Dream from Le Miserables.
This all came to mind as I read a passage about the shepherds in Luke 2:8-13 and saw a verse I’d never noticed before. We all remember the Angel of the Lord announcing the birth of Jesus to the shepherds. Scripture says when the shepherds saw the Angel, they were terrified. But the ominous Angel calmed the sheep herders down, and just when they were feeling more comfortable with the situation, God adds a crescendo in Luke 2:13. It was as if Almighty God was thundering, “Don’t forget this moment!”
The passage says, “Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel praising God and saying: “Glory to God in the highest heaven; and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
It was similar to the grand finale in a musical when all the characters come out for the last spectacular dance scene. One can only imagine, but a company probably represented tens of thousands of angels lighting up the sky over the shepherd’s field. It would be a scene forever etched in these men’s minds and hearts. They probably hummed the angels’ song for the rest of their lives.
No wonder the shepherds said after this glorious display, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened.” In fact, Scripture says they were in a hurry to find Jesus. It was the natural reaction to a supernatural occurrence.
And after the shepherds discovered the Savior of the World and worshipped him, they returned home “glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen.”
This was no stage play.
It was a new reality for the shepherds and it changed their lives forever.
Maybe you haven’t witnessed a host of angels in your back yard, but if you’re a Christian, you’ve probably experienced something supernatural that only originated in Heaven.
What are you doing about it?
Are you glorifying and praising God for what you’ve heard and seen?
Or has fear placed a lid on your joy?
Today, think through your life story and try to see where God entered the scene. Remember when the Christ child was first introduced to you.
Ask God to replay the moment, and like the shepherds, don’t keep it to yourself.
“When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them” (Luke 2:18).