The Song To The Shepherds Series

The Song to the Shepherds

Jeffery Anselmi / General Adult

Heaven and Nature Sing / Christmas / Luke 2:13–14

Heaven’s song reveals God’s plan to bring glory to Himself and peace to humanity through Christ.

OPENING SLIDE

INTRODUCTION

• For 400 years, heaven had been silent.

• No prophets, no new word from God—only waiting.

• Then, on a dark hillside outside Bethlehem, that silence was shattered.

• Not by thunder, but by a song.

• A song not from earth, but from heaven’s own choir.

• Imagine the scene: ordinary shepherds, forgotten by society, watching over sheep that may one day be offered in the temple—and suddenly, the sky explodes with light. The quiet night becomes a concert hall of glory.

• Picture the stark contrast: elite priests in Jerusalem miss the miracle, while forgotten shepherds receive heaven’s spotlight. Open with a modern hook—“In a world chasing viral fame, God spotlights the overlooked.”

• The quiet night becomes a concert hall of glory.

• This is heaven’s announcement that the wait is over.

• God has stepped into history.

• And heaven cannot stay silent!

• This is a very short song.

• Short hymns or songs aren’t necessarily bad.

• What matters is not so much quantity as quality.

• That’s where we find ourselves with this song of exultation from the angelic host.

• Compared to Mary’s and Zechariah’s songs, this one is very brief.

• It’s also very familiar.

• Most church-raised children participated in an annual Christmas play at their church, which featured this exact scene.

• Children would come out dressed in white robes, with homemade halos on their heads, and one youngster would quote this.

• Today we will examine three divine truths this short, beautiful song unveils.

• This short, simple song brings hope and purpose.

Luke 2:13–14 NET 2nd ed.

13 Suddenly a vast, heavenly army appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

14 “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among people with whom he is pleased!”

MAIN POINT 1 SLIDE

SERMON

I. The Messengers: The Arrival of God’s Army

• The birth of Jesus matters.

• Think of the magnitude of the event.

• The announcement begins with an angel of the Lord appearing to the shepherds.

• The shepherds were extremely afraid, but the angel tried to calm them down before he shared the good news he had to announce to them.

Luke 2:10–12 NET 2nd ed.

10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid! Listen carefully, for I proclaim to you good news that brings great joy to all the people:

11 Today your Savior is born in the city of David. He is Christ the Lord.

12 This will be a sign for you: You will find a baby wrapped in strips of cloth and lying in a manger.”

• Then it happened!

• A vast, heavenly army appears!

• Heaven’s response was immediate and overwhelming.

• When God moves, He doesn’t always send advance notice; sometimes He erupts into the ordinary moments of life.

• The shepherds weren’t in the temple, and they weren’t at a revival meeting; they were at work, doing what they did every night.

• When God decides to make His glory known, even the hillside becomes holy ground.

• You may feel like your life is in a routine: same hills, same sheep, same night.

• However, do not underestimate the sudden changes God can bring when He enters your ordinary life.

• The sudden appearance of the “vast heavenly” indicates that the birth of Jesus was an event "too important to be heralded by any one angel."

• God did not send a choir in the soft sense, but the armies of heaven.

• This wasn’t a defensive army but a declaring army, proclaiming victory before the battle had even begun.

• Heaven’s army didn’t come with swords, but with a song.

• They came not to destroy, but to declare joy and peace.

The presence of this vast army shows that "all heaven was interested" in the departure of its prince and "marveled at the grace of the Father" who sent Him.

• The announcement of Christ’s birth wasn’t a whisper from heaven; it was a declaration of war against sin, death, and darkness.

• The same heavenly forces that fought for Israel now sang for a baby in Bethlehem.

• The supernatural power of God's glory confronted the shepherds, accustomed to danger and fear.

• But the message wasn’t “Run!” It was, “Rejoice!”

• When a military victory is declared, armies shout in triumph.

• Heaven’s angels shouted because victory was certain; the Savior had come.

• Christmas isn’t cute; it’s epic.

• It’s the day God’s army arrived to announce peace through strength: the strength of a Savior born to die.