That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.”Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying,“Glory to God in highest heaven,and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished, but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often. The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them. (Luke 2:8–20 NLT)
Is there anything more awkward than a middle school dance? Boys on one side of the dance floor and girls on the other, and only the bravest of the brave dare breach the DMZ between the two.
Yet, just a few years prior, these same kids were unabashed in how they sang and danced. It didn’t matter if they were off key or their dance moves were subpar. They heard their favorite song, they needed to move. Children seem to be born to dance.
Imagine if this mindset we all had as kids persisted into adulthood, where singing loudly was simply a natural reaction to the joy inside and dancing was the best way we knew to celebrate being alive in this moment. The angels in Luke 2 certainly couldn’t hold in their song; if ever there was a moment for celebration, this announcement of the birth of the Messiah to a group of shepherds – a once-in-all-creation moment – certainly qualified.
Luke doesn’t record whether the shepherds joined in the chorus in the moment or if they tapped their feet to the beat. What we do know is they understood the weight of this moment and didn’t want to miss out on seeing this miraculous newborn, and that after seeing the child and sharing all that happened to them, they “went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen.”
They might not have joined in the chorus of angels in the moment, but once they experienced the full impact of that momentous night, they found their voices and sang along with the celebration.
When was the last time you sang loudly and unashamed of your voice? When did you last dance like nobody was watching, regardless of whether that was true or not? Be like the shepherds and join with the chorus of angels. Sing loudly. Dance with joy. Celebrate the Messiah whose birth in the small village of Bethlehem was the start of something new and world changing.