CHRISTMAS DAY
When the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying to one another, “Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us.” So they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger. When they had seen this, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child. And all who heard it wondered at the things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart.
Luke 2:15-20

THE SILENT IN-BETWEEN
We are on a journey in-between receiving a glorious promise and witnessing its fulfillment. We may hear little from God, and the way can be dark.  In-between can be difficult, but it is where we set our faces toward Christ, our glorious hope.

The shepherds knew about that in-between place.

For a moment their night yielded to glorious light.  The calm was interrupted by celestial voices.  The shepherds witnessed the darkness peeling back, creating an ethereal stage for the angel to pronounce the birth of the Christ child and the angelic host to say, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to all on whom God’s favor rests.”

Then that splendid moment gave way again to darkness and silence.

The stunned shepherds waited, not knowing quite what to do.  The angels gave no curtain call.  They were gone.  For months these rugged men of the field had watched over the flocks of Passover sheep, tending them until the coming day of sacrifice when their flocks would be led to the slaughter.  The lambs, briefly startled by the radiant skies and the noise, returned to their grazing and rest. The night seemed even quieter after the angelic host receded into the skies.  The night was more silent, the darkness more visible.

Finally a shepherd spoke.  “Let’s go straight to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us.”  That journey to Bethlehem was for the shepherds an in-between moment. They had been told about the promised Messiah, but they’d not yet seen him.  The angels did not accompany them.  The Christ child did not suddenly appear in their midst.  The night was silent as they began the trek toward the place where the newborn Savior lay.

The journey we take is a journey between the promise and the fulfillment, between the promise of creation’s redemption and the glory of Christ bringing it about.  It’s between the rousing moments when Christ is declared and the intimate moments when Christ is clearly seen.  This journey is sometimes a rather silent night. We often read this passage in Luke and recite the angelic pronouncement, then fast forward to the scene in Bethlehem where the shepherds worshipped the child.  But what was it like for the shepherds to journey to Mary and Joseph and the baby as he lay in the manger? 

This is where we find ourselves.  We are in-between the declaration of Christ and the moment when we will be with him eternally.  Just as the shepherds hurried in that in- between place, so we must live in anticipation of what is yet to come, when we will behold him.  When they arrived, they told the story of all that had been told to them, and those who heard them wondered at what had been said.  On this Christmas Day, be mindful of the journey between, even when it’s night and silent.  Take this journey with confidence, setting your eyes on Jesus, knowing that the silence and the night will end.  Until then, be present in it.
Barry Corey, President

LORD GOD, help us to set our eyes on Jesus when we find ourselves in darkness and in silence. Give us hope in the in-between. Amen.