Christmas - No More Silent Nights

For the months of November and December we listen to songs with lyrics such as silent night, holy night; away in a manger; and let there be peace on earth. The sweet, peaceful melodies of these songs are meant to give us a picture of rest for our weary souls. I wonder sometimes if God does not view the Christmas story in the same light as we do, however, so let’s briefly cover the facts of the story.

Luke chapter 2 tells us the story of Jesus’ birth, beginning with his mother Mary getting paid a visit by a heavenly messenger. We know his name, which indicates that God entrusted this message to only one angel – Gabriel. The story goes on to say that Mary somehow conceived a child without the typical requirements of human reproduction. As she said in her own words, “But how can I have a baby? I am a virgin.”

Sometime later and once she became pregnant, Augustus, the Roman Emperor at the time ordered for the entire Roman empire to undergo a census. As a result, Mary and her fiancé Joseph traveled to his hometown of Bethlehem to be registered. Immediately upon their arrival, Mary went into labor and gave birth to the now famous baby Jesus in something closer to a cave than a stable. Shepherds saw an angel, wise men followed a star, and the rest – as they say – is history.

So why do I make the claim that God sees Christmas very differently than we typically do? Well, let’s look at the experience of the shepherds for a moment. It was typical for shepherds to gather their flocks at night and combine them for safety’s sake. Wolves and other predators - as well as evil-doing humans - preferred to eat or steal sheep at night under the cover of darkness. So, this particular group of shepherds sat on a hill side with their flocks, hoping for a silent night like all others. They would be simultaneously gravely disappointed and elated.

At this point in history it had been roughly 400 years since the last prophet of God said a single word to the Jewish people. In that span of time Israel had been conquered by Alexander the Great and his Macedonian conquest and they were now under the thumb of the Romans. This is not long after they were conquered by the Babylonians and Assyrians, and the temple was destroyed. They had no king and no real government to speak of, nor any ability to regain their freedom. In every sense of the word they were treading spiritual water, waiting for their anointed messiah who would deliver them from their enemies.

And so, the shepherds waited on a hill side, likely not thinking that this night would be the night where the silence of God would be broken in magnificent fashion.

In Luke chapter 2:9 the story picks up:

Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and radiance of the lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terribly frightened, but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news of great joy for everyone! The Savior – yes, the Messiah, the Lord – has been born tonight in Bethlehem, the city of David! And this is how you will recognize him: You will find a baby lying in a manger, wrapped snugly in strips of cloth!”

Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others – the armies of heaven – praising God

Luke 2:9-13, NLT

Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others. There are many instances of people being visited by angels throughout scripture, but none of them were accompanied by a vast host. Zechariah was visited by God’s preferred messenger, Gabriel, when he received the promise about his son, John the Baptist. Gabriel was again on a solo mission when he visited Mary. When Daniel had several angelic visits, they didn’t have an army behind them either. When Joshua was visited by an angel just before the battle of Jericho, he wasn’t accompanied by a vast host. So why was this night different?

Because it was an invasion.

We sing about it being a silent night, but it was anything but silent. It was a declaration of war because humanity is opposed. Whether we choose to recognize it, we have a very real enemy. It is the very same enemy as God’s. In the story of Daniel receiving one of his messengers in Daniel chapter 10, it says this:

Then he (the angel) said, “Don’t be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day you began to pray for understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your request has been heard in heaven. I have come in answer to your prayer. But for twenty-one days the spirit prince of the kingdom of Persia blocked my way. Then Michael, one of the archangels, came to help me, and I left him there with the spirit prince of the kingdom of Persia. Now I am here to explain what will happen to your people in the future, for this vision concerns a time yet to come.”

Daniel 10:12-14, NLT

We are opposed. The enemy of humanity seeks to interfere with God’s plans for our lives. The above verses show us that God’s messages can sometimes be delayed because of this war. As important as the message to Daniel was, the message being delivered to the shepherds on Christmas night was the most pivotal word from God to have ever been spoken: Emmanuel; God is with us.

God could not allow this message to be delayed and so what did he do? He sent an armed escort with the messenger. In fact, the word that Luke uses to describe the heavenly host is “plíthos”, which can mean multitude or the entire number of something. First, the lone angel delivered the message (probably so the poor shepherds didn’t have heart attacks), then like a scene from an epic movie, the entirety of heaven’s army was revealed for them all to see. Unseen to those in town, I picture an army of angels setting up a cordon around Bethlehem, ensuring that the enemy could not get close to the manger where the King of Heaven now lay. I can visualize the vigilance of the angels as they searched the darkness for the enemy. I can see the few enemies who were stationed in the area running in fright from the unexpected invasion.

On Christmas night, Heaven’s gates opened and its armies marched forth. A vast host arrived in the Podunk town of Bethlehem not to welcome God to earth, but to safeguard him. The God of the universe needed to make sure humanity got the message: your prince of peace has arrived and we’re here to fight.

Emmanuel.

What about you? Are you prepared to fight for your peace? For your hope? For your freedom? Two thousand years ago God and his army fired a shot across the bow of the enemy, and that shot has been reverberating throughout history ever since. Christmas is not about silent nights; it’s about the end of the silent nights. Christmas means war.

Reflection:

1. From what thought process or habit did Jesus come to set you free?

2. What’s one step you can take today to begin partnering with him in this war?