118 While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks
While shepherds watched their flocks by night, all seated on the ground,
The angel of the Lord came down, and glory shone around.
“Fear not,” said he, for mighty dread had seized their troubled mind;
“Glad tidings of great joy I bring to you and humankind.
To you, in David’s town this day, is born of David’s line the Savior,
Who is Christ the Lord, and this shall be the sign:
The heavenly babe you there shall find to human view displayed,
All humbly wrapped in swathing bands, and in a manger laid.”
Thus spake the seraph, and forthwith appeared a shining throng
Of angels praising God, who thus addressed their joyful song:
"All glory be to God on high, and to the earth be peace;
Good will to all from highest heaven begin and never cease!”
Devotion
Whenever I am asked to describe a moment that I felt particularly close to God, I tell this story:
In the winter of 1978, I attended public hearings for a proposed highway improvement project in the Yukon Territory, Canada. The night of the Haines Junction hearing the project team was staying at a small motel about a mile out of town. After the hearing, I decided to walk back to the hotel. Snow covered everything. The only disturbance to the snow was the plowed Alaska Highway. There were no cars on the road. The world was silent except for the crunch of my footsteps as I walked along the highway. The sky was clear and the light of the stars and moon reflected off the snow, making it glow. To the north, the northern lights swirled.
I envision the shepherds sitting on a hillside watching their flocks. It is a clear night full of stars, and the light from the moon and stars reflects off the grasslands and perhaps hills in the distance. The world is silent. The shepherds can feel God’s presence in the glory of the creation spread out before them. Suddenly an angel appears, accompanied by the light of God’s glory to bring tidings of great joy.
My moment in the Yukon provided for me a similar experience, but with snow and no angels (not even snow angels). Contemplate for yourself a moment or time when you felt particularly close to God.
In the winter of 1978, I attended public hearings for a proposed highway improvement project in the Yukon Territory, Canada. The night of the Haines Junction hearing the project team was staying at a small motel about a mile out of town. After the hearing, I decided to walk back to the hotel. Snow covered everything. The only disturbance to the snow was the plowed Alaska Highway. There were no cars on the road. The world was silent except for the crunch of my footsteps as I walked along the highway. The sky was clear and the light of the stars and moon reflected off the snow, making it glow. To the north, the northern lights swirled.
I envision the shepherds sitting on a hillside watching their flocks. It is a clear night full of stars, and the light from the moon and stars reflects off the grasslands and perhaps hills in the distance. The world is silent. The shepherds can feel God’s presence in the glory of the creation spread out before them. Suddenly an angel appears, accompanied by the light of God’s glory to bring tidings of great joy.
My moment in the Yukon provided for me a similar experience, but with snow and no angels (not even snow angels). Contemplate for yourself a moment or time when you felt particularly close to God.