"Beware that you don't despise a single one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels are always in the presence of my heavenly Father” (Matthew 18:10).
There was something in the air that night. The stars were beginning to tremble. The wind was in a state of confusion, holding its breath in anticipation. The mountains seemed to stand taller and the rocks had a strong desire to cry out.
They could see it all clearly, their sharp eyes keenly watching as it all unfolded before them, but man was unmoved. Did he not see what was coming?
“Not yet.”
His wings covered his face and his feet, burning with the desire to spring to action.
“They just left Jericho and are heading towards Jerusalem now.”
They stood to attention but looked on closely, craving to see as much as they could without losing their place. Their eyes were glued to the woman, afraid to let her out of their sight, but other eyes were on the throne, for nothing compared to Him who sat there.
“When can we go?”
“It’s not time yet. It’s getting darker and the shepherds are just changing shifts.”
So much joy filled them at the thought of witnessing the moment of grace. They still couldn’t believe the shepherds were chosen. Most of them were still singing about it, completely astounded.
“Who’s watching the Magi?”
“We’re not taking any chances. Herod is aware of all the rumours going around and they need all the protection they can get.”
“Why do you think He isn’t sending us to them? Why the shepherds?”
“Who knows the mind of Him Who Is Great? He never does what we expect.”
“I can’t wait to see their faces!”
“Yes, but we mustn’t frighten them.”
The heavenly host were gathering and nearly all of them were in place now—itching to shout out. He was right, though, they had to be careful not to frighten the humans.
There was a collective sigh as the man and woman made it into Bethlehem. The woman was so close to giving birth. The light coming from the throne room was brighter than ever and it was hard to look away from it.
Some of them were not able to contain themselves and they had already started to sing and shout. The LORD had kept His promise to these humans and they would see how loving He was. They would worship Him once again, wouldn’t they?
“The outcasts are becoming restless. Will He destroy them tonight, do you think?”
“He won’t destroy them until He has accomplished His mission.”
“They don’t deserve our pity. They chose the side they’re on.”
An angel interrupted this debate. “The LORD be praised, the woman has reached the house!”
“Glory to God!”
“Glory!”
“Glory in the highest!”
They winced as the woman hunched over in pain, gripping her husband’s arm, not noticing the anxious look on his face. His relatives were ashamed to have them there and didn’t show them any kindness. There were already dozens of people staying there and even though Mary was pregnant, they wouldn’t give up any of the rooms. They told Joseph and Marry to sleep downstairs with the animals. Oh what they were missing with their human eyes! Some of the people looked at Mary like she was diseased—as if they might catch her sin. But Mary was highly favoured and the LORD had already prepared a place for her to rest. “Go.” A group of angels flew down to flank Mary and Joseph, protecting them in secret. Just outside of Bethlehem the shepherds were looking up at the night sky. It was so much brighter tonight than any other night. The shepherds were already sensing that something was going on. One of them looked like he might wake the other. The temple priests were asleep; enjoying the restful sleep of the proud. How outrageous that they kept their distance from the shepherds, whom they considered to be unclean, when they were unclean inside. The angels could not understand how they could be so mistaken. Any wonder the LORD had overlooked them. “LORD let us bring your justice now!” How they longed to avenge their master for the image that these people distorted of Him. Slander, malice, lies! “VENGEANCE IS MINE. I WILL REPAY.” Then in their minds they could see it unfolding as it was prophesied. A great, epic battle. The LORD standing mightily on His mountain and people fleeing from Him, trembling with fear. The whole earth coming to pieces, ridding itself once and for all of the curse of sin. Then the LORD reminded them, in His gentle, discerning way, of another picture; of the great Heavenly Host gathering the elect from all over the world, even those who had already died a physical death, with the victorious sound of a trumpet. What a sight that would be! God’s chosen… The priests had not yet heard the rumours of the arrival of the Messiah, but the so-called holy men in Nazareth had ridiculed Mary‘s family when the story had come out and called Joseph every sort of fool for not stoning her like he should have for her “infidelity”. The angels burned with indignation at the false accusations thrown at the poor young girl. A number of days passed swiftly, bringing an even deeper anticipation for the coming of the Messiah. Soon it was hard to hear anything in the heavens aside from the angelic chorus. The angels observed that Joseph struggled to trust the LORD for the safety of his wife, but they knew that after she gave birth, his faith would be restored. Suddenly, Mary cried out. She woke Joseph. He put his arm around her, half asleep. She cried out again. Joseph sprang up in bed. “What is it, Mary? Are you in pain?” They heard his fragile, human voice ask. “Joseph! He’s coming. He’s coming!” Then she began to pant. The LORD sent more angels down to watch over her, knowing that the enemy would choose her moment of weakness to attack her. The outcasts of heaven were barred entry into her birthing chamber. Every labour saddened the angels, for it reminded them of the first man and woman who had been cursed for their rejection of the LORD. Eve was the first woman to be punished for her sins through the pain of childbirth. Some of the angels had taken delight in her pain though, only to receive the wrath of God come down upon them. They trembled just to remember it. “I don’t know if I can do this,” Mary was sobbing now. They were not afraid for her, for they had witnessed this many times. However, an angel whispered softly into Mary’s ear about the goodness of God and how He gives grace to those who need it. “He hears every cry.” “Shall I get some attendants? Mary?” Joseph whispered to her, frantically. When Mary could not answer him, Joseph made a quick decision and ran upstairs, crying out for help. As the women rushed to Mary’s side and helped her to sit up into the birthing position, the angels in heaven all of a sudden went completely still and silent. This was it. The LORD incarnate. The King of Kings come to earth as a human. It was staggering, astounding, unbearably magnificent! A few curious relatives stood nearby to watch. They didn’t believe Mary’s story about her miraculous conception, but they were still curious to see her baby. They whispered amongst themselves, speculating. Joseph, as per the custom, was removed from the birthing room and paced anxiously in another room. She was pushing. Mary was pushing! Shouts erupted in the heavens as a head came into sight. She pushed again and his head was finally out. “Come on. One more push and it will all be over,” an attendant assured her. Mary was tired and in agonizing pain. She didn’t know if she could push again. But after another contraction hit, she bore down and gave an almighty yell as she pushed the baby out. The throne room was brighter than ever as the baby cried for the first time and everyone was rejoicing. “It’s time,” the command came. “Go!” He flew down to the fields where the shepherds were watching the sheep. His presence woke them all up. He tried as much as he could not to frighten them, but he knew that they wouldn’t know what to make of him and would be afraid anyway. How could you explain the glory of an angel? Some had compared them to jewels. Some, a blazing fire. Others saw their own humanity exaggerated. They could not be mistaken for mere mortals, however, since they shone with the glory of heaven and their voices were as loud as a multitude. The angel attempted to reign back his excitement for a moment, working to keep his voice soft for human ears. He spoke the words that the LORD had given him to say and delivered them humbly. “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord.” The shepherds were finally able to look at him, though they still trembled, and now their mouths dropped open in astonishment. “And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” That was the end of his speech and he felt the victory in it. He knew that these words would be repeated over and over throughout time. He hoped that every man who said them would be as amazed as he was. “Is this a dream?” One shepherd muttered. “If it is,” another piped up, “we’re both having the same one.” Suddenly the rest of the angels were standing beside him praising God with the best human words they could use.
“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”
They knew the shepherds would be having a moment of humility, such as they had never experienced before, as they contemplated this divine message. The priests slept soundly in their beds, not having been awakened by the noise—missing out on the greatest honour ever given. For the LORD had chosen the weak, the unclean, the lowest of the low. He had announced the greatest news ever given to an unlikely people and yet…the angels were able to see more of His goodness in that act. The LORD was glorified by making the weak strong. The angels couldn’t wait to return to surround the throne of Him whose train was so mighty that it filled the whole room. They knew that He would take delight in what had occurred tonight and anything that made Him happy, made them happy. Some were instructed to stay behind, though, to accompany the shepherds as they visited Mary. They weren’t sure why they were still needed, but they trusted that God had a purpose. The angels were no longer visible, but perhaps the Shepherds felt them nearby? “Let’s go and see the baby!” “I can’t believe the Messiah has finally come.” “Are you sure it’s the Messiah?” “How can you doubt after what we just saw? God has told us.” They gathered up their things, leaving only their young apprentice behind, to watch the sheep, and they made their way into the town of Bethlehem. They were so excited that they didn’t even notice the derisive looks from people as they walked through the town in their dirty clothing, the smell of animals wafting from them. They asked around if anyone had heard of a baby being born and placed in a manger. Some people scoffed at them and told them to go back to their sheep, but they persisted. The further they got into town, something changed in the air. There was a crowd outside a house and the shepherds rushed over. They pushed past everyone to get through and saw a young girl and her husband sitting beside a manger, where there was indeed a baby lying in swaddling clothes. All of their doubts were removed upon this sight and they could not contain themselves. The shepherds bowed down before the baby, overwhelmed. They told Mary and Joseph what the angels had told them, babbling with excitement. The people that were gathered around them began to murmur and speculated about whether the shepherds were telling the truth. The angels weren’t watching the people though. It all became clear as they saw something change on Mary’s face. Her eyes softened and she let out a gentle sigh, quivering slightly. As the shepherds spoke, tears filled her eyes and she listened intently to every word. “Thank you,” she said to the shepherds, but the angels could feel that she was also thanking the LORD for this confirmation. He was faithful. Mary now knew that eight days later when she circumcised her son, she could confidently call him Jesus, the name given to her by the angel that had visited her, for she had no doubts anymore that he really was the Saviour. Far away, in the East, some men were studying the stars and they noticed something unusual. A star that did not fit in any of the constellations. “Read it to me again.” He cleared his throat. “A star shall come out of Jacob; a scepter shall rise out of Israel.” “You were right.” He laughed. “You mean the prophecy is right.” “We must leave at once.” As they packed their things they couldn’t help feeling joyful. The angels watching them shared a smile, anticipating what would happen next. “What do you mean you’ve found the King of the Jews?” Herod demanded. Then remembering himself he visibly attempted to calm down. “Am I not the King?” “Indeed, my Lord, you are the King, but surely you have heard of Balaam’s prophecy?” The prophecy claimed that there would be a special star, used by God to announce the Saviour’s birth to this world. He would be a King who would rise up and defeat God’s enemies. He would, one day, rule the world. King Herod scowled at them. “You are Perisans. What do you care about such prophecies?” “My Lord, we may reside in Persia, but I assure you, we believe in the God of Abraham and Isaac, and in the Messianic prophecies of Daniel.” The angels watching could see that the King was troubled, but he covered it well. When the wise men had left his presence he summoned the priests and scribes in the middle of the night and demanded answers. He wanted to know where the Christ was supposed to be born. His eyes were crazed with the desire to find this King before anyone else and put a stop to all the murmurings. However, all his scribes could come up with was that the child would be born in Bethlehem. “It says here, ‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel’.” “Is it true about the star?” “It’s true, my Lord.” It wasn’t only Herod who was anxious. All of Herod’s friends were alarmed because they had profited from his reign and feared what would happen to them if his government was overturned. They began to make plans. The angels were disgusted by the greed they saw in Herod and decided to keep a close eye on him. In the morning Herod sent for the Magi and told them, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.” The Heavenly Host were making plans too. They had been instructed by God to remain hidden, but to keep watch over the Magi. “The LORD is going to warn the wise men.” “Did He say that we should speak to them?” “No. He will give them a dream and tell them to follow the star. We should only watch from a distance.” “Follow the star? What does that mean?" The other angel leaned in and spoke conspiratorially. “It’s going to move. The star is going to direct them to the Saviour.” “Miraculous! How great is our God!” The Magi continued to keep watch over the stars, waiting to see if there would be a change. They kept their ears to the ground also, in case any rumours reached them of a miraculous birth. For weeks they heard nothing. The sky was as mysterious and silent as ever. Then, one night, they noticed the star had shifted. “Impossible,” one of the men muttered. “And yet, so it is.” “Perhaps we were mistaken? Maybe it wasn’t the fulfillment of prophecy. Maybe it’s just a shooting star?” He scoffed at him. “My good man, a shooting star does not take weeks to move! This is his star.” “Then we should follow it. Perhaps this is our ‘glory cloud!’” He said excitedly. They took turns using the astrolabe and conferred about which direction to head next. Finally, they came to a decision. “It’s South, not West like we thought.” “To Jerusalem then?” He sounded hesitant. “Well, it does make sense the Messiah would be in the holy city.” They made the necessary arrangements to assemble together an entourage for the long journey from Judea to Jerusalem. They needed servants, armed guards, supplies for the whole company, and, of course, gifts for the holy child. Finally, they were ready and set out on their much anticipated quest. The angels were ready to pay honour to this King of Kings, too. “This is the final visit. Humans will talk about this for ages to come.” “Why, when the grace our LORD showed to the shepherds was so much more astounding?” They all shook their heads in confusion. When the Magi found the holy baby, they were moved by what they saw and heard and overwhelmed that their journey had produced such a find! They immediately bowed down and worshiped him, showering him with gifts and blessings from their mouths. Somewhere nearby, a company of angels were bowing too. “Joseph,” the angel called, his mouth felt funny saying the strange human word. The man stirred, but did not wake. He called him again. “Joseph.” The LORD stopped him. Oh. He was to tell Joseph in a dream. He cleared his throat and spoke near the man’s ear. “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” Joseph’s sleep suddenly became restless and he was moaning. The angel froze as Joseph sat up with a gasp. He waited. Then Joseph bellowed. “Mary!” Far away, the angry shout of a king could be heard as he realized he had been thwarted. “Find him! Kill all the baby boys in Bethlehem!” The outcasts were gnashing their teeth in anger too, when they saw the man and the woman slipping away with the holy child.
