Day 18

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host,

praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest heaven,

and on earth peace among those whom he favours!’

Luke 2: 13-14

Heaven Breaks Loose

Have you ever been in a place which has ‘big skies’?  It is an awe inspiring sight that can make you feel very small. Now imagine that same sky filled with angels!  What an extraordinary experience that must have been for those unsuspecting shepherds who were quietly minding their own business, and their sheep, when suddenly all heaven breaks loose.

The skies outside Bethlehem are ‘big skies’.  As part of the celebrations of the birth of Jesus it would appear all angel leave was cancelled and it was all hands on deck, and those ‘big skies’ were suddenly crowded with the most amazing concert ever given.  And all for a group of shepherds who were generally forgotten on the edges of society.

The story of God is full of surprises.  Throughout history, He has chosen to make Himself known to the unlikeliest of people- liars, cheats, tax collectors, even a murderer or two.  And here again, rather than appearing to the religious types 8 miles up the road in Jerusalem, the angel announcement comes to the unlikely.

And yet they respond.

They do what the angels tell them and go and find the baby.

As we approach this Christmas are we willing to be taken by surprise again?  Are we ready to journey with the unlikely shepherds responding to the invitation to see Jesus?  If the answer is ‘yes’, life may never be the same again.

Richard