If you could have witnessed one moment in the Bible, which would it be? I wouldn’t be surprised if many of us pick Luke 2:13, when a great company of angels appear and give their song of praise to God.

Luke doesn’t actually say, but I think we all imagine that it was a most glorious sound as the angels’ beautiful voices filled the air. Perhaps it’s because of our Hymn 21:6, but I always assume there was singing involved in the angelic praise. And we long to hear that same music ourselves one day in heaven. And even join the heavenly choir ourselves in praise to God, when we’ll presumably have angelic voices!

Initially, however, the shepherds weren’t filled with wonder but with the opposite – fear.

The Shepherd's fear⤒🔗

Verse 9 says that when the angel first appeared to them, they were terrified. Because of the angel’s sudden appearance, but also because the glory of the Lord shone around them. I assume the angel is probably Gabriel, who announced the conceptions of John the Baptist and Jesus to Zechariah and Mary in chapter 1. Even if not, like Gabriel this angel also “stands in the pres¬ence of God” (Luke 1:19) and so also reflects the glory of God in his appearance.

The glory of God appears to human beings like a blinding light. It is bright shining white because of God’s holiness, his complete aversion to sin and anything sinful. And that shining glory is frightening to human beings, even in its reflection (see Exodus 34:30). It’s frightening because we are sinners, who by nature have a complete aversion to God and his holiness.

The shepherds, despite faithfully doing their task and keeping watch over their flock even by night, are sinners. And so, they react with great fright to the sight of God’s holy angel. Basically, every time a human being meets an angel of God in the Bible, terror is their reaction.

There is a huge difference between us, even on our best days, and the perfect holiness that God requires of us in his law. If we were transported onto the hilltop with the shepherds, to see the angel and hear their majestic song, our initial reaction would almost certainly also be great fear, not the open-mouthed joy and wonder that we probably imagine! (For proof, see Revelation 1:16-17.)

But it doesn’t have to be that way!

The angel’s gospel←⤒🔗

The angel begins with words of comfort: “Do not be afraid.” It’s the same way basically every angelic message begins. But, for the very first time, in a sense, there’s good reason not to be afraid – of the angel and even of God’s glory. “I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you. He is Christ the Lord.”

Our fear at God’s glory comes because of our sin. Because sin makes us unable to approach God’s holy presence. But the angel’s message promises a Saviour! A Saviour to “save us from our sins” as an angel (Gabriel again?) tells Joseph in Matthew 1:21.

And not just any Saviour. He’s the Messiah, the “Anointed One” who was promised so many times over by Old Testament prophets, whom God would send to bring final deliverance to his people.

That’s why the angel can tell the shepherds “I bring you good news.” Another way to put that is, “I proclaim the gospel to you.” It’s a gospel that is going to bring them great joy. All their fears will disappear, and only joy be left. The Messiah has come to take away their sins, so they will no longer have to feel ashamed or terrified at the sight of God’s glory and holiness.

But what kind of a Saviour is here?

The wonderful Saviour←⤒🔗

Both in verse 11 and verse 12 the angel describes what the Messiah will look like. But both verses contain a strange contrast. Verse 11 says that the Saviour is born. But then later that the Messiah is “the Lord.” Jesus our Saviour is truly human. Born of the Virgin Mary as real baby in the painful way that infants are always born. And, at the same time, he is also true and eternal God.

We are of course used to the idea. But what a strange and wonderful thing it must have sounded like to the shepherds. How would the Lord be on earth in the first place, and as a baby? Had the angel misspoken?

But then verse 12 contains another contrast that confirms something strange is going on. The angel invites them to go and see the baby for themselves. And he tells them that they will find the baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.

Now, I’ve seen a few newborn babies in my time, and they have generally been wrapped in some sort of blanket to swaddle them. So, with these words the angel confirms that the baby is a real baby. He’s not a spiritual God appearing on earth as a baby, or he could not be wrapped. Like every other baby in history he is born, wiped clean, and wrapped up snuggly in blankets, especially important if it is a cool evening.

But this wrapped baby is lying: in a manger. Now, infants snuggled up in their warm blankets can sleep pretty much anywhere. We’ve sometimes put our babies on couches, in empty suitcases, and even (empty) baths to sleep, when there was no room in the hotel room for a baby bed. But an animal feeding trough is another story.

And so, it’s another surprise to the shepherds: go see this baby. He’s a real baby, as cute and adorably snuggly as any other baby you see. But there’s also something wonderful about him. He will not have an ordinary life, because he is at the same time true God. That is the reason for the angel’s truly good news. That’s the only way that he can be great joy that is for all the people. Because he is God’s Messiah, the God-man who can save his people from their sins. The only name under heaven by which we must be saved (Acts 4:12).

The angels’ song←⤒🔗

So, it is because of this that the angels sing their song. Their song begins with glory for God. Glory might radiate from the presence of the angels, but they know that it is not their glory. They are simply reflecting their God. And so, they direct their praise to the only one truly worthy of our worship and praise. And God is in the highest. He is in heaven, high and lifted up.

But he is not just high and far away. He’s also always come down to his people. He especially has come near in the baby who has just been born. And so the angels also proclaim God’s peace. Not his peace towards everyone. “On earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”

On which people then does God’s favour rest? Isaiah 57 says that God “lives in a high and lofty place, but also with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit.” You need to be humble, acknowledge your sin and unworthiness before God, and then find salvation in his Messiah the Lord born today to you.

The shepherds’ delight←⤒🔗

The shepherds wouldn’t have understood all of this immediately, of course. They were just shepherds, regular people. Even those who spent years with Jesus didn’t understand who he was and how he was Saviour, Messiah, and Lord until after he had died and rose again.

But we know the shepherds believed and understood the main message: this child was the promised Messiah, Saviour for them and all God’s people. The first thing they did after they saw him was to tell everyone they met what the angel told them (v. 17).

In great excitement they rushed off and found the child in the manger exactly as the angel had told them. And, having seen him and returned back to their flocks, they “glorified and praised God for all the things they had heard and seen.”

It will be wonderful, one day in heaven and on the new earth, to join with the angels in singing magnificent songs of praise to God. Especially for those of us who aren’t exactly blessed with “angelic” singing voices here below.

But, actually, we don’t have to wait! Notice the angels were praising and glorifying God (v. 13, 14), and that’s exactly what the shepherds did too (v. 20). The last note of angelic song had long since faded in the Judean hills. The only echo left was in the shepherds’ hearts. But they sang along anyway.

We can be sure that the angels’ song of praise continued when they returned to heaven, just as it still continues today (Rev 5). And so, we too today join with angels, shepherds, saints above, and saints here below as we sing our Christmas songs of praise and glory to God. Songs in awe at his grace at coming near to us in Christ. Born as a human baby, and yet also Christ the Lord, so that he alone can indeed save his people from our sins. We, on whom God’s favour rests, can have not terror at the sight of God’s glory, but only everlasting peace with God.