I am simply not a morning person. I’ve tried over the years to press myself into a schedule that more closely approximates my husbands, especially when our children were small and insisted on being awake with the sun. This is my predicament once again with small grandchildren, but try as I might, I just cannot make it stick. My mind is awakened by the stillness and quiet of the evening. I can be drowsy after dinner but by the time my head hits the pillow, all the gears switch on.
The worst thing I can do is to switch on a bright light during the night. After bedtime, I’ve learned to navigate my space in darkness, often with eyes closed, to avoid being jarred awake. I’ve gained more than a few bruises in the name of sleep from rounding the foot of the bed a little too quickly. Recently, I tried to throw my feet over the wrong side of the bed and collided with the wall, forgetting that I was in the guest room of my daughter’s home and not my own bed. It can be frightening and disorienting to be awakened suddenly, unexpectedly, as by a smoke alarm or siren in the night.
The shepherds in Luke’s gospel account were far more exposed as they took turns sleeping and watching in the night outside Bethlehem. They’d probably grown fairly numb to the threat of wild animals and thieves. They were adept at their job, much like David who described his own combat with lions and bears to King Saul before confronting Goliath. (I Samuel 17:34) I feel sure they’d even seen shooting stars but nothing in their lives could have prepared them for this night.
“Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them.
They were terrified,”
Luke 2:9 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/luk.2.9.NLT
These were men with the strength to “go after a lion or bear with a club and rescue a lamb from its mouth, and if the animal turns on me, I catch it by the jaw and club it to death.” (1 Samuel 17:35) When that guy is terrified, I don’t want to be anywhere nearby, I think to myself. Then I remember the angels message of good news and great joy for all people and suddenly I’m thinking I’d like to have been there, even with my heart pounding out of my chest!
“From the beginning the Father
Had a magnificent plan
Revealed through the law and the prophets
To fulfill the redemption of man
God spoke after centuries of silence
In the midst of a still starry night
And Emmanuel came down among us
And the Father said, “Let there be Light!”
Let there be Light
Let it shine bright
Piercing the darkness with dazzling white
Hope for the hopeless was born on that night
When God sent His Son and said, “Let there be Light!””
-Point Of Grace, LET THERE BE LIGHT, lyrics by Marie Reynolds and Scott Krippayne https://youtu.be/C80FtcdOHhg
“The one who is the true light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.”
John 1:9 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/jhn.1.9.NLT
“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.”
John 1:5 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/jhn.1.5.NLT
“Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world.
If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.””
John 8:12 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/jhn.8.12.NLT
“We must quickly carry out the tasks assigned us by the one who sent us.
The night is coming, and then no one can work.
But while I am here in the world, I am the light of the world.””
John 9:4-5 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/jhn.9.5.NLT
“Learn to do good.
Seek justice.
Help the oppressed.
Defend the cause of orphans.
Fight for the rights of widows.”
Isaiah 1:17 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/isa.1.17.NLT
“You won’t spend the rest of your lives chasing your own desires, but you will be anxious to do the will of God.”
1 Peter 4:2 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/1pe.4.2.NLT
“O Lord, I will honor and praise your name, for you are my God.
You do such wonderful things!
You planned them long ago, and now you have accomplished them.”
Isaiah 25:1 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/isa.25.1.NLT
“In that day the people will proclaim, “This is our God!
We trusted in him, and he saved us!
This is the Lord, in whom we trusted.
Let us rejoice in the salvation he brings!””
Isaiah 25:9 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/isa.25.9.NLT
“The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.”
Let anyone who hears this say, “Come.”
Let anyone who is thirsty come.
Let anyone who desires drink freely from the water of life.
He who is the faithful witness to all these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon!”
Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!”
I’ll admit, this final invitation of Scripture scares me a little, still I long for it with all my heart. If burly shepherds were terrified when the angels of heaven came announcing good news, what can I expect to feel when the Rider on the white horse comes unexpectedly, followed by the armies of heaven? (Revelation 19:11) Jesus said no one knows the day or hour, not even the Son or the angels, only the Father. (Mark 13:32)
“Jesus told them, “You don’t get to know the time.
Timing is the Father’s business.
What you’ll get is the Holy Spirit.
And when the Holy Spirit comes on you, you will be able to be my witnesses in Jerusalem, all over Judea and Samaria, even to the ends of the world.””
Acts 1:7-8 MSG
https://bible.com/bible/97/act.1.7-8.MSG
““You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden.
No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket.
Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house.
In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.”
Matthew 5:14-16 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/mat.5.14-16.NLT
We have been entrusted with those same glad tidings, good news of great joy for all people.
“Hope for the hopeless was born on that night
When God sent His Son and said, “Let there be Light!”
“May the grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s holy people.”
Revelation 22:17, 20-21 NLT
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