Joy Breaks the Silence
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” Luke 2:13-14
We never know the moment right before something happens—until it’s over. For the shepherds outside Bethlehem, a routine evening on the job takes a turn they never saw coming. A surprise visitor delivers an unexpected message and is joined by an angelic choir who praise God—giving their audience the performance of a lifetime—and leave.
The angels break into the silent night with a contagious, world-shaking joy. And despite their initial fear, despite how otherworldly these visitors must have seemed, the shepherds are drawn to their message.
Let’s go, they say without hesitation. Not: Let’s ask someone about that the next time we’re in town. Or: That was weird, wasn’t it?
Life can feel like a grind—like we’re stuck in the same place we found ourselves last month, or last year at this time. It can feel like nothing ever changes. It can feel like hoping for a better future is naive. The shepherds might have related to those feelings. They might have gotten used to the silence. Stuck on a trajectory dictated by their social class, they wouldn’t have had reason to expect that sudden, life-changing joy would come to them—until it did.
It’s beyond reason to expect the unexpected, to have hope in the face of our circumstances and our world’s—unless that reason is love.
The angels break the silence that night with joy because God has broken his with love. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son—and we call it Christmas. Let’s go.
We never know when we’re living in the moment before. Before a change in our own lives, a change in our world, or the joyous return of Jesus to the people he loves. Today when it’s dark, look up at the sky and remember that joy breaks through when we least expect it—because we are loved beyond reason.
At Christmas, we’re all invited to joy—a great joy that will be for all the people (Luke 2:10). If you’re running low on joy this week, ask God to refresh your spirit and to lift your eyes to the wonders of his love.
Song: “Angels We Have Heard on High” –Danny Gokey
This song is part of our Silent Nights playlist on Spotify.