What is the right way to respond to Christmas? I’m not actually concerned with the holiday, with a day off of work on December 25. I mean what is the appropriate response to the birth of Jesus? To the extent that our global holiday appreciates the Word made flesh, that’s great. Jesus had a birthday, and it’s fine with me if we all agree to recognize the same day on the calendar every year. But if we really grasp the meaning, and therefore the importance of the incarnation of God, what will we do?

We can learn a lot by considering how a group of pastors responded. These were pastors in Latin; in English we would call them shepherds, and not the figurative kind. “There were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.” This wasn’t an outdoor, late-night accountability group, it was a plurality of men guarding a group of sheep, either theirs or someone who hired them.

Perhaps no one else in the nativity story got it so good as these shepherds. Mary and Joseph both heard from angels, Joseph in a dream (Matthew 1:20) and Mary had a conversation with Gabriel who visited her (Luke 1:26-39), but the shepherds got a show.

“An angel of the Lord appeared to them and the glory of the Lord shone around them” (Luke 2:9). After the announcement, “suddenly there was with the angels a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom he is pleased’” (Luke 2:13-14). The earthly parents received some explanation beforehand, the shepherds received a same-day report of the birth from an angelic choir. The wise men, who came over a year later, learned about the birth from a star (Matthew 2:2). But the shepherds got a direct and divine announcement that included an invitation to go and see the baby.

The shepherds also had the least amount of distance to travel. They were “in the same region,” outside of Bethlehem. Mary and Joseph had to travel from Nazareth in Galilee to the city of David (Luke 2:4), a distance of almost 70 miles. Also, as far as we know, none of the shepherds were pregnant. They were also much closer than “the wise men from the east” (Matthew 2:1), a reference to astrologers in Persia or Babylon, a journey of around 900 miles.

So the shepherds got a personal invite accompanied by the heavenly host singing and they were relatively close. That’s a trifecta. They invested the least amount of effort in the story and arguably got the greatest return on Christmas. It’s actually astonishing. What had they done to deserve this? Why did God choose them, out of all the people anywhere?

Simeon, who was “righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him (Luke 2:25), knew “by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ” (Luke 2:26). Simeon did get to see Jesus, but not in the manger on His birth day. Anna the prophetess also got to see Jesus, since “she did not depart from the temple, worshipping with fasting and prayer night and day” (Luke 2:36-37). The shepherds weren’t noted for being especially righteous, devoted, prayerful, or eagerly “waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem” (Luke 2:38).

Yet think of what the shepherds got.

Think of the theology!

When the angel appeared and the glory—the bright, brilliant light—of the Lord shone around them, “they were filled with fear.” That’s appropriate: humble fear. Then hear what the angel said to them.

“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 Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” (Luke 2:10–11)

This birth is without precedent, but not without prophecy. The shepherds must have picked up on some of the terms, and we are in a privileged position to connect even more. They certainly heard the echoes of Isaiah. Isaiah looked forward to increasing joy brought by a birth.

For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of his government and of peace
there will be no end,
on the throne of David and over his kingdom,
to establish it and to uphold it
with justice and with righteousness
from this time forth and forevermore.
The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.
(Isaiah 9:6–7)

Hear the echoes of joy (Isaiah 9:3), unto us (Isaiah 9:6)/you is born, the throne (Isaiah 9:7)/city of David, Savior-Christ-Lord, host (Isaiah 9:7). Here is the world-changer, the world-ruler, the one who carries the burden and increases peace and establishes a throne of justice forevermore. And He is born this day!

This child is Savior. Soteriology is His. All things that belong with salvation are from Him and in Him and for Him. God gave an entire sacrificial system to deal with sin and guilt, a system that pointed to a better sacrifice. He comes to make His blessings flow far as the curse is found. He rescues, He heals. The Savior is born!

He is Christ, the Anointed One, the Messiah. This is not Jesus’ last name, it is His title. He was chosen for this office, this responsibility. He is not only the sacrifice, He is the High Priest who presents the sacrifice in order to satisfy God’s righteousness and bring us to God. Christ is born!

He is Lord, the Master. He redeems and He reigns. He is King, His kingdom is forever, His kingdom is fruitful and all who serve Him flourish. He is in charge by virtue of His possessing all things, the highest authority. The Lord of glory is born!

The shepherds may not have understood all the fine theological footnotes or been able to locate all the cross-references in the prophet’s scrolls, but they knew what Savior, Christ, and Lord meant. Lord, in particular, always translated Yahweh, the covenant name of Elohim=God. Perhaps the shepherds also thought of a little earlier in Isaiah.

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. (Isaiah 7:14)

“Immanuel” means “God with us,” as an angel of the Lord told Joseph in a dream (Matthew 1:23). How can this be? It would take a few centuries to clarify the relationship of Jesus’ humanity and His deity. But somehow, from a virgin, from Mary, would be born the eternal Word who was God and was with God. The creator of the universe, who sustains it by His Word, had to work out of a womb-office for nine months. The one who clothed mountains with snow was clothed by his mom in swaddling clothes. He causes seed to sprout and crops for food to feed animals, and He was laid in a feeding trough His first night on earth.

Here is glory in submission, glory in humility, glory in giving up oneself for others.

A few centuries later, Augustine wrote:

Man’s Maker was made man that
the Bread might be hungry,
the Fountain thirst,
the Light sleep,
the Way be tired from the journey;
that Strength might be made weak,
that Life might die.

Unlike the Greek and Roman pantheon of gods, unlike those who believed that matter is evil and spirit is good, who were offended by the idea of holiness embodied on earth, Jesus redefined categories of thinking. His birth built new shelves for a library of truths, and the lowly shepherds were lifted into the presence of divine incarnation. How their lives would be changed by these truths.

Think of the doxology!

Doxa is a Greek word that means “glory.” It is used in verse 9, “the doxa of the Lord shone around them.” It is also the first word in the angels’ song, “Doxa in the highest to God.” The angels were praising God, saying, perhaps singing in a great chorus.

A doxology is a hymn or verse in Christian liturgy that glorifies God. We ahem an English, capital D, doxology that we sing a lot (“Praise God from whom all blessings flow…”). It is a word, logia, or expression of doxa , glory. So “Gloria in excelsis Deo” is called the “Greater Doxology” and it is the Latin translation of Luke 2:14.

The army of angels did not just perform for the shepherds, and yet the shepherds were the only ones who witnessed this glorious worship.

So how did they respond? “when the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made know to us.’” How could they not? The announcement and song came with a sign. No more momentous event had ever happened in history up to this point, and only one other event in history has more importance, the death and resurrection of Christ. History itself is divided at this birth line. Of course they had to go.

“They went with haste,” certainly appropriate. What did they do with their flock? Does it matter? They were going to meet the Savior, the Christ, the Lord! They were going to meet the fulfillment of a long night of waiting for Israel. They dropped everything for the highest priority of meeting this child.

They “found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. And Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart.” The shepherds believed what they were told, so they went and they made it known. Perhaps Joseph and Mary also told them what the angels had revealed to them. And the result was that all “wondered,” they marveled at the significance of it. Mary made a mental collection of these truths and meditated on the nature of this child’s coming into the world.

All of this fits with glory. This is how you respond to glory. A unique and glorious birth called for an immediate change of plans on the shepherds’ part. Priorities were rearranged. It upended their night in the field, and certainly the story continues with their whole lives being upended, right? There’s no way that anything could be the same for them after this.

But verse 20 takes the most unexpected turn in the story, and, in light of the theology and doxology, it could be called unappreciative, disobedient, even blasphemous. “And the shepherds returned.” Returned where? To the temple for prayer and fasting and psalm-writing? To a king to announce the arrival of the new king? Of course not. They returned to work. They went back out to the same field to keep keeping watch over their same flock by night.

Shouldn’t they have stayed with Jesus? If they really believed what the angel told them, then why didn’t they follow Jesus’ family around, devoting themselves to serving Jesus and praising Him? Wouldn’t that have been the right response, the spiritual, God-honoring response? How could they return to work after this?

In the same way, shouldn’t we celebrate Christmas every day? Shouldn’t we drop everything we’re doing and sing “Gloria in excelsis Deo” on non-stop repeat until the Second Coming? Who cares about the dumb sheep, we’ve got the Chief Shepherd.

Well, no. God forbid. The return of the shepherds to their work was the great Christmas blasphemy that wasn’t. It was right that they gave attention to the angel. It was appropriate for them not to cover their ears and scream “la-la-la we can’t hear you!” when the angels sang. It was fitting for them to go see the child and good to talk with Mary and Joseph. It was proper to wonder. Then it was right for them to go back to work, to the same responsibilities they had before, though now they did it differently.

“The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.” “Glorifying” (doxazontes) and “praising” were words used of the heavenly host. The shepherds were changed that night, not mostly in what they did but how they did it. They watched their sheep differently.

It’s right for us to stop and sing about the angels singing. It’s appropriate for us to gather, in pajamas around a tree or in special dresses or bow ties with the church, and retell what was seen and heard that night so long ago in Bethlehem. We should believe, we should marvel, we should give glory to God in the highest. And if we’ve done Christmas celebrations right, there will not be a let down when we’re done, there will be a lifting up of everything else we return to do. Cold, sleepless nights defending against wild animals, or listening to coughing kids, making food, changing diapers, registering for the census/paying taxes, whatever our station of responsibilities, Christmas will help us be spiritual in bodies.

Conclusion

Christmas Sentimentalists hate work, before, on, and after Christmas day. But that means they don’t get it.

Christmas understood balances us, it does not throw us off balance. It does not wreck the rhythm of our hearts, it is the main beat. If you’ve lost your balance and want to blame the season, okay, but remember? Christmas!

Enjoy today. Rejoice exceedingly with great joy today. Let men their songs employ! And then tomorrow, or later today, let men their skills deploy! Go back to work glorifying and praising God for all the good news of great joy for all the people, that a Savior, Christ the Lord was born, and He is coming again for His people.