Sometimes he could still hear them.
He didn't hear a lot these days. Usually just the sound of his own ragged breathing, which sounded remarkably like a dying camel. But sometimes that noise would die down, and he could still hear the angels.
Their voices sounded like tinkling cymbals and loud crashes of thunder all at the same time. Soft yet mighty. It was incredible.
A time when the angels of Heaven couldn't help but cry out their love and joy at the birth of the newborn Savior.
Hearing that...seeing that...it had changed him. Ever since that night, he had told people about the angel chorus announcing the Savior's birth. And when the Savior began his ministry among the people, he followed him and his disciples around the countryside, and continued to share his testimony. After the Lord rose from the dead and ascended into Heaven, he worked faithfully in one of the churches the disciples started. He wouldn't trade those days for anything. So many wonderful things had happened.
But his most precious memory was the night the angels burst forth from the Heavens with their chorus. An event few had witnessed.
One that he had.
Based on Luke 2:8-18
So believe it or not, this post isn't about the shepherds who saw the angel chorus. It's about the angel chorus. I just love that the angels of Heaven couldn't contain their joy any longer. It's like they were pushing on the doors of Heaven until they finally gave way, and they fell into a shepherd field. But it didn't matter that there were only a few men surrounded by smelly sheep. They just had to sing for joy, give glory to God, and thank God for His amazing salvation for us.
Incredible. I do not think words will ever really do that moment of overflowing joy justice.
There is another moment of overflowing passion and joy in the New Testament.
"And as he rode along, they spread their cloaks on the road. As he was drawing near—already on the way down the Mount of Olives—the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen, saying, 'Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!' And some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, 'Teacher, rebuke your disciples.' He answered, 'I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.'" Luke 19:36-40
When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the people couldn't stop shouting glory and praise. When the Pharisees tried to tell Jesus to shut them up, Jesus said that if they were silent, the very rocks would cry out.
The rocks.
So...My question today is why let them? Why let angels and rocks sing glory, honor, and praise when we could be the ones doing that? The shepherds didn't know that Jesus was born, but once the angels got the ball rolling, they didn't stop. The people that witnessed Jesus entering Jerusalem couldn't help but praise the coming King - even if they didn't entirely understand what was going to happen. But today, we do. All the incredible things God has done for us and in our lives, why keep silent about them? Let your joy in Him overflow.
"Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory." 1 Peter 1:8
His birth, life, death, and resurrection are still just as miraculous now as they were then. That hasn't changed. Only now, we know and we can be the ones singing. With a joy that could rival the angels.
V. Joy Palmer
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