Just Imagine It!
And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.
And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, 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, good will toward men.
~Luke 2:8–14
There are huge comparisons to be made between the birth of Christ Who was wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger and His birth announcement. One was very lowly and humble and the other was a real showstopper.
No one has ever had the birth announcement that God made to those frightened shepherds on that hillside!
First a scary angel of The Lord appeared in a big spotlight (must have been scary since he had to tell the shepherds not to be afraid) and then the angel gave them a very odd message about the Savior being born and now lying in a cow's dish.
Finally, a multitude of similar beings showed up and they were singing some exquisite music that praised God. If they had been singing the Hallelujah Chorus, that would have been one thing, but they were singing heavenly praises. By the way, how many is a multitude? I'm thinking thousands. Can you think of a bigger birth announcement? I can't.
I hope to reenact this scene for the benefit of at least two. I think we have all the elements we need.
I've already set the stage with a game we call "Rescue the Sheep." It's played by hanging over the cliff (the big chair) and reaching down with Great-grandmother's cane, and muckling onto that sheep that wandered off. It's proven to be great fun.
Love to you this icy Sunday. We remain happy, happy, happy here.
