A Not So Silent Night

 By: Dr. Dale Weckbacher

 

Text: Luke 2:1-20

 

Luke 2:9-11

And ^[c]behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. ¹⁰ Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. ¹¹ For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

(NKJV)

 

One of my favorite Christmas songs is Silent Night. The song began as a poem written by Joseph Mohr in 1816. The song was put to music and performed during a Christmas Eve service in 1818, with the author of the lyrics playing guitar in accompaniment. While the song speaks of a quiet, peaceful, and silent night with the birth of the Prince of Peace, Jesus, the events that transpired on that night were hardly silent, especially for Mary, Joseph, and the Shepherds.

 

Picture Mary and Joseph living in Nazareth, with Mary waiting for the time when her Baby would be born. This baby is no ordinary baby, however, for the father of this baby is God the Father (Luke 1:26-38). Then, there is a change of plans with Caesar Augustus ordering that all the world be registered, requiring each family to go to the city where they were born. For Mary and Joseph this meant going to Bethlehem (Luke 2:1-5). Unfortunately, due to the large number of people arriving in Bethlehem for mandatory registration, Mary gives birth to her special baby not in the comfort of her own home, but in a barn, laying Him in a manger or cattle trough instead (Luke 2:6-7). This is hardly a silent night for Mary and Joseph.

 

However, there is going to be even more noise tonight involving shepherds peacefully watching the flocks (Luke 2:8). I picture these shepherds lying under the stars and trying to grab some sleep after an exhausting day herding their sheep when their silent night is interrupted by an angel and the glory of God (Luke 2:9). The angel announces that this is a special night with the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem (Luke 2:10-11). The angel helped them identify the baby as the one lying in a manger wrapped in swaddling cloths (Luke 2:12). Then the night really gets noisy with a choir of the heavenly host praising God (Luke 2:13-14).

 

After witnessing these events, the shepherds go to Bethlehem to see what has happened and find Mary, Joseph, and the baby Jesus in a manger just like the angel said (Luke 2:15-16). Filled with excitement, the shepherds cannot keep silent and tell everyone they can about what has happened (Luke 2:17-18). However, Mary kept quiet, pondering what had just happened in her heart (Luke 2:19). The shepherds returned to their flocks praising God because of what they had just heard and seen (Luke 2:20).

 

What started as a quiet night in Bethlehem, turned into a not-so-silent night for Mary, Joseph, and the shepherds, but this was all according to God’s plan. Mary could not give birth to Jesus in Nazareth because the birthplace of the Messiah was prophesied to be in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2). Therefore, God devised a plan forcing Mary and Joseph to go to Bethlehem for the birth of Jesus. Messiah was born in humility, not in a palace as a future king, with his birth a royal announcement, but in a barn with his birth announced by angels using lowly shepherds as the messengers. This is hardly what one would expect with the birth of the Messiah, the King of Kings, and Savior of all humanity, but it is how God chose to do it. This humble beginning is perhaps part of why the religious leaders of the time could not believe Jesus is Messiah.

 

Even though we sing the song Silent Night during the Christmas season, Christmas today is hardly silent but a busy time as people prepare to travel and spend time with family, buying gifts, and decorating. Unfortunately, all the busyness can cause us to forget that the reason for the celebration is the birth of Mesiah, the Savior of humanity, who was promised in Genesis 3:15. The fact that God would come to fallen humanity in human form, starting as a baby and climaxing in his death, burial, and resurrection is mind-boggling. I invite everyone reading this to take time out of the busyness of the Christmas season to reflect on this truth.

 

If you are reading this and have never made a public profession of faith in the Lord who came to us as God, born in a manger on Christmas, and died for your sins, I invite you to do so now by praying with me.

 

Dear Lord Jesus, I know I have sinned (Romans 3:23) and know that the penalty for my sin is death (Romans 6:23).  I ask you to forgive me of my sin and cleanse me as you promise in your Word (1 John 1:9).  I believe you died, spent three days in the grave, and resurrected from the dead and now declare you Lord of my life.

 

I urge those who just prayed to tell someone, like the shepherds did, about their discovery of the savior. I also encourage you to begin the new year by finding a Church that teaches the Bible as the word of God so you can learn more about your savior. May God convict, challenge, and bless everyone reading this post, and Merry Christmas!