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Richard W. Steffen: “There’s a Change in the Air

There’s a Change in the Air

by Richard W. Steffen, Minister of Music

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It was cold that night. Timothy and I were used to it, protecting the sheep at night on the hillside. I’m not sure that it was colder than usual. But there seemed to be an indifference to the air; it gave me an unusual feeling of loneliness. As I think back now, it was about a year ago this time, nothing about that night was usual. You know, we weren’t very popular people in the village. We were considered misfits and thieves. And when it came to the Jewish leaders in the village, we were outcasts. They said we were unclean, so we were not able to participate in temple worship. Our entire lives had been spent taking care of our sheep; on most nights, it was boring. But not THAT night!

Bethlehem’s not a large town and the lights didn’t spread out far. As usual, the sky was dark that night. As usual, the sheep had begun to settle down, and we were gazing into the night sky.

Now Timothy has an imagination; me, I just do my job. So I wasn’t too surprised when he looked at me that night and said, “There’s a change in the air.” I said, “No, it’s dark and it’s cold. Just like it was last night; just like it will be tomorrow night.” That’s the way it is when you tend sheep: calm, quiet, peaceful, ordinary, boring. But not THAT night!

The Jewish leaders in the village always talked about a time when there would be “a change in the air.” They told us of the promise that was given to our people: there would be One called Messiah who would be born of a virgin in Bethlehem. That’s right, in OUR Bethlehem! The Messiah would be like David, brave and skillful in battle, and he would save us from Roman rule. But after all these years – lots of years – we were still waiting. The promise has not been fulfilled. At times, Timothy – remember, he’s the profound one of us – wondered if the “truth” that the Pharisees talked about really matched up with the prophecies of old. We remembered the prophet Isaiah saying, “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” And he said, “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given: and the government shall be on his shoulder.” The prophet Micah said, “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me One who will be ruler over Israel.” What if this Messiah wasn’t going to be a warrior? What if he would bring peace? Yes, we were still waiting. Until THAT night!

Then it happened. This “change in the air” actually happened! There we were, as always, watching over our sheep. Suddenly this cold, dark, quiet hillside exploded in light. At that moment, it was as if Yahweh himself reached down TO US! An angel of the Lord appeared TO US! We knew about angels and their occasional visit to the world. We had heard of Jacob fighting with an angel when we were allowed to listen to the Jewish leaders. And Jacob became Israel. So that night we were terrified by this angel.

But the angel didn’t come to frighten us. He said, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Okay, now THAT was strange enough, but then: WOW! Suddenly the sky was full of angels, praising God and they sang, “Gloria in excelsis Deo!” “Glory to God in the highest!” We knew what we needed to do next. We went down the hillside, bringing our sheep with us, and there they were. Just as we had been told. We found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. And we worshipped this newborn King.

After we left the stable Timothy really surprised me with what he said next. “Just think,” he said. “Yahweh didn’t choose any of the rulers or the rabbis or tax collectors or even Caesar Himself to hear this good news: it was US that He chose.” Too profound for me, but I liked the idea that we were chosen. I do know that shepherds have value, because I remember hearing what Isaiah said about one particular shepherd: “He shall feed his flock like a shepherd; he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.” This newborn king MAY BE that shepherd! But this is what I know for sure. It wasn’t just a “change in the air” that happened. There is a change in my heart.

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