December 25: The Shepherds: The First Witnesses
♫ Music:
Day 24 - Tuesday, December 25
The Shepherds: The First Witnesses
Scripture: Luke 2:11-20
And the Angel said unto them, “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.”And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.
Poetry:
December 24, 1971
by Joseph Brodsky
For V.S.
When it’s Christmas we’re all of us magi.
At the grocers’ all slipping and pushing.
Where a tin of halvah, coffee-flavored,
is the cause of a human assault-wave
by a crowd heavy-laden with parcels:
each one his own king, his own camel.
Nylon bags, carrier bags, paper cones,
caps and neckties all twisted up sideways.
Reek of vodka and resin and cod,
orange mandarins, cinnamon, apples.
Floods of faces, no sign of a pathway
toward Bethlehem, shut off by blizzard.
And the bearers of moderate gifts
leap on buses and jam all the doorways,
disappear into courtyards that gape,
though they know that there’s nothing inside there:
not a beast, not a crib, nor yet her,
round whose head gleams a nimbus of gold.
Emptiness. But the mere thought of that
brings forth lights as if out of nowhere.
Herod reigns but the stronger he is,
the more sure, the more certain the wonder.
In the constancy of this relation
is the basic mechanics of Christmas.
That’s what they celebrate everywhere,
for its coming push tables together.
No demand for a star for a while,
but a sort of good will touched with grace
can be seen in all men from afar,
and the shepherds have kindled their fires.
Snow is falling: not smoking but sounding
chimney pots on the roof, every face like a stain.
Herod drinks. Every wife hides her child.
He who comes is a mystery: features
are not known beforehand, men’s hearts may
not be quick to distinguish the stranger.
But when drafts through the doorway disperse
the thick mist of the hours of darkness
and a shape in a shawl stands revealed,
both a newborn and Spirit that’s Holy
in yourself you discover; you stare
skyward, and it’s right there:
a star.
THE SHEPHERDS: THE FIRST WITNESSES
There is something special about being “first.” The entire Bible points to the coming Messiah, but nothing is predicted about who would be the “first” to witness the promised baby. Someone had to be first. Who would have thought that it would be shepherds?
In Luke 2:8, we are told that this announcement of the greatest event in human history is made to shepherds…out in the field, simply doing their job. Shepherds often stayed for months at a time in isolated areas where there was water or grass for grazing. They were constantly with their sheep. The sheep were vulnerable to all kinds of trouble, so the shepherds made sure that they were safe from wandering off, injuring themselves, or the dangers of thieves and wolves. They had an important role, but this meant that they lived most of the year outside as nomads, away from the townspeople and with sheep. So, in this story, what were they doing? "Keeping watch." They were putting in long hours on the night shift while everyone else in town was enjoying sleep. They were “out there” paying close attention to sheep while no one paid any attention to them. And, then, this announcement comes to them…first...before anyone else.
There is much to consider in this story, but I want to focus on the shepherds’ response to the announcement that came on that starry night. Let’s consider three points for application.
2:15-16, They believe and go see for themselves.
You can see that they believe in that they drop everything and run with haste to go find this baby. They don’t second-guess God’s word, saying, “Come on…a baby in a manger? No, they take Him at His word and they run to see for themselves. The sheep will have to care for themselves for a time. I can hear them saying, “Ma’am, that baby is our Savior, who is Christ the Lord. Be sure to give proper support to his neck. Is he warm enough? Can I hold him?”
2:17, They tell what had been said about this child.
They don’t just believe what the angels told them, they tell it to others, they give it away! They do not focus on the spectacular heavenly choir they had witnessed, although I am certain it came up in conversation. Luke tells us that they made known “the saying that had been told them concerning this child.” And there is more.
2:20, They leave glorifying and praising God for what they had seen.
This was no ordinary moment. They returned “glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.” They were glorifying and praising God for what the angels had sent them to see, which was just as they’d been told. The Savior had come! They may have been the “first” to witness the baby, but they make sure that they will not be the last.
On this incredible morning, can we respond in a similar way?
Prayer:
“O, God help us to SEE and BELIEVE in the glory of Christ like these shepherds. Help us, and give us boldness, to testify about Him to others. Help us to glorify and praise you for what we’ve been given! God, all praise be to you!”
David Talley
Professor of Old Testament
Associate Dean of Strategic Partnerships and Student Welfare
About the Artwork:
Adoration of the Shepherds, 1485
Domenico Ghirlandaio
Oil on canvas
65 ¾ in x 65 ¾ in
Sassetti Chapel, Santa Trinita, Florence, Italy
This painting of the Adoration of the Shepherds emphasizes the prophetic anticipation and recognition of the arrival of the Christ at the birth of Jesus and his salvific death. Next to Mary Joseph turns to look at an angel appearing to the shepherds in the sky as a long procession of the Magi winds its way along a mountain road and passes through a triumphal arch, in acknowledgement of Christ’s sovereignty. A glowing light can be seen directly above the broken roof of the hut, marking their destination. Inscriptions on the arch and stone sarcophagus and allusions to the cities of Jerusalem and Rome in the far distance allude to the fulfillment of both Jewish and pagan prophecies. The naked vulnerable Christ child lies on the flowering grass in front of the sarcophagus, representing the new life that will come from his eventual death. Perched on the rocks in front of Jesus is a goldfinch, symbol of Christ's Passion and resurrection. The rocks also allude to the Sassetti, patrons of the chapel, whose name in Italian means "small rocks." Ghirlandaio’s painting, which includes his self-portrait as the shepherd pointing to Christ, shows the clear influence of Hugo van der Goes' Portinari Altarpiece, which had been taken to Florence in 1483 by the Portinari family for the Church of Sant'Egidio.
About the Artist:
Domenico Ghirlandaio (1448-1494) was an Italian Renaissance painter born in Florence, Italy. Ghirlandaio led a large and successful workshop with many apprentices including Michelangelo. His work was very popular for his capacity for narrative storytelling set in contemporary life, the dignified yet pleasing clarity of his compositions, and effective incorporation of symbolic and literate references. His early training in the goldsmith’s art and apprenticeship to artist Verrocchio can be seen in the crisp decorative detailing and meticulous craftsmanship of his painting. The influence of Flemish painting, and probably Hugo van der Goes in particular, can be seen in his adoption of oil on canvas and his interest in rendering naturalistic everyday settings.
Music #1:
“Laetabundus” from the album Christmas Carols
Lyrics
Laetabundus
Exsultet fidelis chorus.
Alleluia.
Regem regum
Intactae profudit torus:
Res miranda!
Angelus Consilii
Natus est de Virgine,
Sol de Stella.
Sol occasum nesciens,
Stella semper rutilans,
Semper clara.
Sicut sidus radium,
Profert Virgo Filium
Pari forma.
Neque sidus radio,
Neque Virgo Filium
Fit corrupta.
Cedrus alta Libani
Conformatur hyssopo
Valle nostra.
Verbum ens Altissimi
Corporari passum est,
Carne sumpta.
Esaias cecinit,
Synagoga meminit;
Numquam tamen desinit
Esse caeca.
Si non suis vatibus,
Credat vel gentilibus,
Sibyllinis versibus
Haec praedicta:
Infelix, propera,
Crede vel vetera:
Cur damnaberis, gens misera?
Quem docet littera
Natum considera:
Ipsum genuit puerpera.
Amen.
[Translation]:
Let the choir of all the faithful exult in their joy. Alleluia!
The Virgin’s womb hath given us
The King of Kings! O wonderful mystery!
The Angel of the great Counsel
Is born of the Virgin,
The Sun is born of a Star!
The Sun knows no setting;
The Star is ever shining, ever bright.
As a star gives forth its ray,
So does the Virgin her Child.
The star loses naught of its purity
By the ray it yields,
So neither does the Virgin by her Child.
The lofty cedar of Libanus
Comes down into our valley,
Making itself little as the hyssop.
He that is the Word of the Most High God
Deigns to take a body unto himself;
He assumes our flesh.
Isaiah had foretold all this;
And the Jews, though they knew the prophecy by heart,
See not its accomplishment in this mystery.
If they will not believe their Prophets,
Let them believe the Sybils, who thus sang:
‘Unhappy people, delay not,
Believe, at least, the ancient oracles!
Why wilt thou be cast off, O wretched nation?
This is the Child of whom thy books tell thee:
He is the Son of a Virgin-Mother.’
Amen.
Composer #1:
Anonymous
Performers #1:
Andrew Parrott (b. 1947) is a British conductor, perhaps best known for pioneering "historically informed performances" of pre-classical music. He conducts a wide range of repertoire, including contemporary music. He conducted the premiere of Judith Weir's A Night at the Chinese Opera. He has also recorded new music by other modern British composers including John Tavener and Vladimír Godár. In 1973, he founded the Tavener Choir, Consort and Players, a "period instruments" ensemble based in London, England. Towards the end of 1973, he began conducting the early music group Musica Reservata, also based in London. Currently, Parrott is music director of the New York Collegium in New York City, an ensemble of players and singers dedicated to the music of the Baroque era.
Music #2:
“Christmas Eve: I. Christmas Night” from the album Rimsky-Korsakov: Overture and Suites from the Operas
Composer #2:
Nikolai Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov (1844-1908) was a Russian composer, and a member of the group of composers known as The Five, prominent 19th-century Russian composers who worked together to create distinct Russian classical music. This style employed Russian folk song and lore along with exotic harmonic, melodic and rhythmic elements in a practice known as musical orientalism. His best-known orchestral compositions—Capriccio Espagnol, the Russian Easter Festival Overture, “The Flight of the Bumblebee” from The Tale of Tsar Saltan, and the symphonic suite Scheherazade—are perennial staples of the classical music repertoire. Rimsky-Korsakov became a professor of musical composition, harmony, and orchestration at the Saint Petersburg Conservatory in 1871. He undertook a rigorous three-year program of self-education and became a master of Western methods, incorporating them alongside the influences of fellow members of The Five. His techniques of composition and orchestration were further enriched by his exposure to the works of Richard Wagner. As an educator, Rimsky-Korsakov widely influenced young composers and is considered "the main architect" of what the classical music public considers the Russian style of composition.
Performers #2:
Royal Scottish National Orchestra with Neeme Järvi conducting
The Royal Scottish National Orchestra (RSNO), formed in 1891, is a Scottish orchestra, based in Glasgow at the RSNO Centre. The RSNO receives support from the Scottish Government and performs throughout Scotland, at such venues as Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, Usher Hall (Edinburgh), Caird Hall (Dundee), Aberdeen Music Hall, Perth Concert Hall, and Eden Court Inverness. Peter Oundjian has been the orchestra's current music director since 2012. The Orchestra is joined for choral performances by the RSNO Chorus, which evolved from a choir formed in 1843, to sing the first performance of Handel’s Messiah in Scotland. The RSNO has a worldwide reputation for the quality of its recordings, receiving two Diapason d’Or de l’année Awards for Symphonic Music and eight GRAMMY Awards nominations.
Neeme Järvi (b. 1937) is an Estonian American conductor. The head of a musical dynasty, Maestro Neeme Järvi is one of today’s most respected conductors. He conducts many of the world’s most prominent orchestras and works alongside soloists of the highest caliber. A prolific recording artist, he has amassed a discography of over 440 recordings. Over his long and highly successful career he has held positions with orchestras across the world. He is currently Chief Conductor of the Residentie Orkest (The Hague, Netherlands), Principle Conductor of the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra, and Conductor Laureate, and Artistic Advisor of the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra. Many international accolades and awards have been bestowed upon him. Järvi's children have made their mark on the musical world as well: son Paavo Järvi is gaining a reputation as a conductor and holds posts as principal guest conductor of the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra; Kristjan is the founder and conductor of the Absolut Ensemble of New York City; and daughter Maarika is principal flutist with the Orquesta Sinfónica de RTVE in Madrid, Spain.
About the Poet:
Joseph Brodsky (b. 1940–1996) was a Russian-born American poet and essayist. Running afoul of Soviet authorities, Brodsky was expelled from the Soviet Union after being sentenced by authorities to a mental institution and years in an Artic labor camp. A public outcry from American and European intellectuals over his treatment helped to secure his early release. In 1972, with the help of the poet W. H. Auden, he relocated to the United States and became the Poet-in-Residence at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Subsequently he taught at several universities, including Queens College in New York, Yale, Columbia, and Cambridge. He won a Nobel Prize for his work and was appointed United States Poet Laureate in 1991. Predominant themes in his work are exile, loss, love, death, the ineluctability of anguish, and the fragility of human achievements and attachments.
About the Devotional Writer:
Dr. David L Talley
Chair, Old Testament Department
Talbot School of Theology
Biola University
David Talley loves teaching the next generation of students the incredible and eternal truths of God in order to prepare them to impact the world for Jesus Christ. Outside of the classroom, he enjoys his family, exercising, cheering for the Alabama Crimson Tide, fishing, serving the church, and traveling internationally to help train the global church to complete the Great Commission.