The night was clear and cool. A welcome relief from the heat of the day. Stars sprinkled the sky like salt, and we could see for miles from our post on the hills outside the city.
"Did I tell you about my little Hezekiah?” I asked.
“What could there possibly be that you haven’t told us about your ‘little Hezekiah’? You talk about him every night. Even the sheep are tired of hearing about that boy.” My friend answered.
“If you had a boy like my Hezekiah, you’d talk about him every night too. You’re jealous of me because I have a son, and all you’ve produced are girls. Who will take care of your flock when you grow too old, eh, Daniel? Who?”
“My girls are fine and strong. They will make excellent shepherdesses. Even so, I’m still young and viral. Miriam is with child again and the Lord may see fit to give me a son this time. Then you will be the jealous one!”
“Why would I be jealous of your son? I have a boy of my own who can do anything he puts his mind to.” Daniel and I bantered like this every night. It was the way of our friendship.
“Can you two not have one night – just one night- without arguing about something? I think I will take my sheep to another hill just to be away from the sound of your voices!” Poor Lazarus, he hated listening to our friendly disagreements.
As the night wore on, the temperature began to fall. We moved around, each of us checking on our own sheep. We met again sometime around midnight to enjoy the libations our wives had prepared for us. We ate in silence, enjoying the beauty of the night.
“The sky is glorious tonight, is it not?” I mused.
“I don’t remember the last time a night was as clear as this. Can you count the stars, Abraham? There must be thousands and thousands; but look at the one that shines over the city. It carries the light of a thousand tiny stars. Have you ever seen such a thing?” Lazarus asked. We all looked to the star of which he spoke.
As we studied it, a great light pierced the night sky, knocking us to the ground. We lay there, covering our faces, not daring to look.
None of us spoke, but I could feel the fear of my friends as palpably as I felt my own. What was happening? A powerful voice spoke to us out of the brilliance. “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy that will be for all the people.” I chanced a peek and saw, standing before us, a man, yet not a man. Pure white light emanated from his robes. His face was radiant with joy – indescribable joy. It was an angel! An angel stood before us! He continued. “For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.”
The Savior? Did he just say “the Savior?”
As he finished his proclamation, a multitude of heavenly beings appeared and surrounded him in the night sky. We could no longer see the stars or darkness of night for the brightness that radiated from the angels. They broke out in song. A sense of unparalleled jubilation filled the air and reached deep into my soul.
We began to worship with the angels. We were compelled to worship. “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased.”
The singing suddenly stopped. We were once again alone on the mountain. I lifted my head and looked around. The night continued on as before. Nothing had changed. Had I dreamed it? Could I dream such a thing? I glanced over at my friends. They both knelt with their faces to the ground. I could see their bodies still trembling.
“Daniel, Lazarus”I whispered. They slowly lifted their heads and sat back. A sense of awe filled our hearts. The joy of the angels lingered, and we basked in it.
Finally I spoke. “Did the angel truly say that the Savior is born?”
“Yes. Yes he did.” Daniel answered me. Lazarus nodded his agreement.
“So we were just visited by an angel who spoke to us and told us that THE Savior was born; and then a host of angels appeared with him, singing of the glory of God? Am I dreaming and you’re both in my dream or is this real? Did this really just happen to us – to shepherds?” My heart pounded within me as the meaning of the angel’s words began to take hold. Daniel and Lazarus both nodded yes to my question. We stared at each other for a moment.
I burst out in laughter and jumped up, dancing. I couldn’t be still with such music in my heart! Daniel and Lazarus joined me. Joy overcame us. We were giddy with it. We sang. We danced. We twirled and ran around. We yelled out, unable to contain the thrill within our souls.
“Wait! What are we doing?” I yelled out as the words of the angel came back to me. We all stopped. “The angel told us that the Savior was born this day in the City of David. It’s the star – the star hovers over the crib of the newborn Savior King. What are we doing here?!”
We took off running towards the star, trusting our sheep to Yahweh’s hands, certain that He who sent angels to tell us of the birth would watch over our charges while we went to see the long-awaited Messiah.
Although the city was crowded because of the census, it was easy to find the babe. The star guided us straight to him. He was wrapped in strips of cloth as the angel had said, and he lay in a feeding trough in a stable. We stood in the doorway, staring at the child, scarcely able to take in the magnitude of the scene before us. A sense of peace and joy even more intense than that which the angels had brought was here in this place, in this stable. The baby’s mother beckoned us in, and we fell to our knees before this tiny child who would, we knew, some day wear a crown.
"Did I tell you about my little Hezekiah?” I asked.
“What could there possibly be that you haven’t told us about your ‘little Hezekiah’? You talk about him every night. Even the sheep are tired of hearing about that boy.” My friend answered.
“If you had a boy like my Hezekiah, you’d talk about him every night too. You’re jealous of me because I have a son, and all you’ve produced are girls. Who will take care of your flock when you grow too old, eh, Daniel? Who?”
“My girls are fine and strong. They will make excellent shepherdesses. Even so, I’m still young and viral. Miriam is with child again and the Lord may see fit to give me a son this time. Then you will be the jealous one!”
“Why would I be jealous of your son? I have a boy of my own who can do anything he puts his mind to.” Daniel and I bantered like this every night. It was the way of our friendship.
“Can you two not have one night – just one night- without arguing about something? I think I will take my sheep to another hill just to be away from the sound of your voices!” Poor Lazarus, he hated listening to our friendly disagreements.
As the night wore on, the temperature began to fall. We moved around, each of us checking on our own sheep. We met again sometime around midnight to enjoy the libations our wives had prepared for us. We ate in silence, enjoying the beauty of the night.
“The sky is glorious tonight, is it not?” I mused.
“I don’t remember the last time a night was as clear as this. Can you count the stars, Abraham? There must be thousands and thousands; but look at the one that shines over the city. It carries the light of a thousand tiny stars. Have you ever seen such a thing?” Lazarus asked. We all looked to the star of which he spoke.
As we studied it, a great light pierced the night sky, knocking us to the ground. We lay there, covering our faces, not daring to look.
None of us spoke, but I could feel the fear of my friends as palpably as I felt my own. What was happening? A powerful voice spoke to us out of the brilliance. “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy that will be for all the people.” I chanced a peek and saw, standing before us, a man, yet not a man. Pure white light emanated from his robes. His face was radiant with joy – indescribable joy. It was an angel! An angel stood before us! He continued. “For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.”
The Savior? Did he just say “the Savior?”
As he finished his proclamation, a multitude of heavenly beings appeared and surrounded him in the night sky. We could no longer see the stars or darkness of night for the brightness that radiated from the angels. They broke out in song. A sense of unparalleled jubilation filled the air and reached deep into my soul.
We began to worship with the angels. We were compelled to worship. “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased.”
The singing suddenly stopped. We were once again alone on the mountain. I lifted my head and looked around. The night continued on as before. Nothing had changed. Had I dreamed it? Could I dream such a thing? I glanced over at my friends. They both knelt with their faces to the ground. I could see their bodies still trembling.
“Daniel, Lazarus”I whispered. They slowly lifted their heads and sat back. A sense of awe filled our hearts. The joy of the angels lingered, and we basked in it.
Finally I spoke. “Did the angel truly say that the Savior is born?”
“Yes. Yes he did.” Daniel answered me. Lazarus nodded his agreement.
“So we were just visited by an angel who spoke to us and told us that THE Savior was born; and then a host of angels appeared with him, singing of the glory of God? Am I dreaming and you’re both in my dream or is this real? Did this really just happen to us – to shepherds?” My heart pounded within me as the meaning of the angel’s words began to take hold. Daniel and Lazarus both nodded yes to my question. We stared at each other for a moment.
I burst out in laughter and jumped up, dancing. I couldn’t be still with such music in my heart! Daniel and Lazarus joined me. Joy overcame us. We were giddy with it. We sang. We danced. We twirled and ran around. We yelled out, unable to contain the thrill within our souls.
“Wait! What are we doing?” I yelled out as the words of the angel came back to me. We all stopped. “The angel told us that the Savior was born this day in the City of David. It’s the star – the star hovers over the crib of the newborn Savior King. What are we doing here?!”
We took off running towards the star, trusting our sheep to Yahweh’s hands, certain that He who sent angels to tell us of the birth would watch over our charges while we went to see the long-awaited Messiah.
Although the city was crowded because of the census, it was easy to find the babe. The star guided us straight to him. He was wrapped in strips of cloth as the angel had said, and he lay in a feeding trough in a stable. We stood in the doorway, staring at the child, scarcely able to take in the magnitude of the scene before us. A sense of peace and joy even more intense than that which the angels had brought was here in this place, in this stable. The baby’s mother beckoned us in, and we fell to our knees before this tiny child who would, we knew, some day wear a crown.
Wow, great job, Lor. Would you be able to expound on the scene at the manger? When we were talking the other day you seemed to have a particular awareness, or sense, of how it must have felt to be the shepherds being in the barn, looking down at THE savior. I would love to hear you describe that feeling.
ReplyDeleteYou've definitely drawn me into the story here...just don't stop! :)
Great job love!