Silent Night - Part 2
The second verse of "Silent Night" marvels at the birth of the Messiah, the Savior of the world:
Silent night, holy night
Shepherds quake at the sight
Glories stream from heaven afar
Heavenly hosts sing ‘Alleluia!
Christ the Savior is born
Luke 2:8-14 tells us of the shepherds who were told the good news of Jesus' birth:
"8And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. 10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest,and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”
God chose to reveal the good news first to shepherds, who were not high-society types but considered quite lowly in the culture of the day. Yahweh did not choose to reveal the birth of the Messiah to kings, the priesthood, or the wealthy and accomplished. He chose those who were looked down upon and often times despised by those around them. He chose shepherds because they had to lead and protect their flock from wolves and thieves, just like Jesus comes to shepherd us through the trials of this life.
Consider 1 Corinthians 1:26-27, "For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong."
Many of us are not wealthy and powerful; we're not wealthy CEOs, famous actresses, powerful political leaders. And even regular secular people consider believers to be fools. But guess what? Even as Jesus shamed the wise in His day and defeated Satan on the cross through His death and resurrection, so are we chosen to shame the wise and strong of our day through our faith in Christ.
We can sing "Christ the Savior is born!" with great joy and hope, knowing that whatever trials and tribulations come our way, God is with us, and ultimately the little baby Jesus, meek and mild as a lamb, is coming back one day soon as the Lion of Judah to put down His enemies and establish His kingdom of peace on the entire earth.
Christmas reminds us that we have great things to look forward to, not just presents under the Christmas tree, but an eternal kingdom of peace where righteousness rules, where good is called good and evil evil, and not the other way around.
Silent night, holy night
Shepherds quake at the sight
Glories stream from heaven afar
Heavenly hosts sing ‘Alleluia!
Christ the Savior is born
Luke 2:8-14 tells us of the shepherds who were told the good news of Jesus' birth:
"8And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. 10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest,and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”
God chose to reveal the good news first to shepherds, who were not high-society types but considered quite lowly in the culture of the day. Yahweh did not choose to reveal the birth of the Messiah to kings, the priesthood, or the wealthy and accomplished. He chose those who were looked down upon and often times despised by those around them. He chose shepherds because they had to lead and protect their flock from wolves and thieves, just like Jesus comes to shepherd us through the trials of this life.
Consider 1 Corinthians 1:26-27, "For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong."
Many of us are not wealthy and powerful; we're not wealthy CEOs, famous actresses, powerful political leaders. And even regular secular people consider believers to be fools. But guess what? Even as Jesus shamed the wise in His day and defeated Satan on the cross through His death and resurrection, so are we chosen to shame the wise and strong of our day through our faith in Christ.
We can sing "Christ the Savior is born!" with great joy and hope, knowing that whatever trials and tribulations come our way, God is with us, and ultimately the little baby Jesus, meek and mild as a lamb, is coming back one day soon as the Lion of Judah to put down His enemies and establish His kingdom of peace on the entire earth.
Christmas reminds us that we have great things to look forward to, not just presents under the Christmas tree, but an eternal kingdom of peace where righteousness rules, where good is called good and evil evil, and not the other way around.
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