I heard the bells on Christmas Day
Their old, familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet the words repeat
Of peace on earth, goodwill to men!
– Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
What unexpected words to use for the Christmas Eve message of the angels. What is wild and sweet about the birth of Christ — the coming of the savior? Plenty.
To start with there is the fact that the announcement was unexpected. Not that the whole Jewish world and some wise kings weren’t waiting. He is known as the long-expected Jesus. But no one was expecting Him on this night, and most certainly, not this way.
The humble birth of Jesus never ceases to amaze me. Like so much of what transpired during His birth, life, death and resurrection, there was no way any human mind would have scripted this. The humble life of Christ is all the proof any of us should ever need of His authenticity and His divine origin. The King of kings born in a stable manger? Not the way Hollywood would do it, and certainly not any Jewish leaders who were hoping for this. Jesus snuck in when no one was looking.
And yet the universe was itching for grandeur. Somebody had to know what was really going on here. Somebody had to be witnesses to the divine intervention into the human race. A few shepherds? Perfect. No one will believe them anyway.
Something had to break through the stillness. There had to be some formal announcement. Send in the angels. Send in the angelic choir! Send in a multitude of the heavenly host. Now that’s wild! Waste it on a handful of nameless shepherds. No matter, somebody has to know; preferably nobody important. Who knows what someone important might do with the information? The shepherds are just going to sit on it. They’ll tell enough people to get it written down in history. That’s all God wanted — that, and a little concert from the choir for the rest of the universe to see.
So when you think of it this way, “wild” is the perfect word. It was the wildest of nights.
“Do not be afraid,” announced the angel. “I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David 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” (Luke 2:10-12).
And sweet? That’s a little easier. Sweet is the salvation He brought to all mankind. A cause of “great joy for all the people.” “Sing that sweet, sweet song of salvation,” sang Larry Norman, “and let your laughter fill the air.”
It’s sweet because it’s free. It’s sweet because it’s God’s grace given to us. It’s sweet because it’s the best thing that could ever happen to us.
It was a silent night. It was a holy night. It was a wild, sweet night. And wild and sweet, the words still repeat “of peace on earth, goodwill to men.”
Sweet.
In Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem, “Christmas Bells,” later to become the beloved Christmas carol, “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day,” it was the chiming bells of Christmas that drove away the darkness and despair of human conflict and brought the hope of Christ’s birth and ultimate redemption for all who believe.
The ministry of the Catch with boots on the ground in 143 different countries, is bringing hope to countless disenfranchised people through counseling, prayer, the daily Catch, a radio station and online church. We invite you to honor a friend, family member, school teacher, pastor, or co-worker with the knowledge that their bell is a symbol of Grace Turned Outward to someone in their own darkness and despair. Ring a bell of Christmas hope and honor someone special in doing it.
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John Fischer The Catch 
I’m assuming you didn’t mean what you said about the shepherds. “Waste it”? on them, “nameless”? “nobody important”? God had a plan and he created His children, the shepherds whom he loved, and knew that for a reason they would be near by when the incarnation happened. He didn’t just use them to get the message out. The message was for them. I’m sure each of them told their families and all their friends about this amazing thing they witnessed. How could they not? That would be much more than just enough to get it written down. The shepherds may have been considered last according to some, but God made them the first to hear this. As for what “important” people do with the message, I think history has told us all too well what that turned out to be!
At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do”. Luke 10:21
Good eye, John A., and a thoughtful heart too – you make a great point!
Rabbi Jason Sobel (www.Fusionglobal.org) teaches an interesting lesson about these shepherds who were watching their flocks by night. He believes that these men weren’t ordinary, everyday shepherds but were, instead, Levitical shepherds.
Sobel says they were raising lambs that were to be offered as sacrifices in the temple, noting that these particular lambs needed to be without blemish. So, these Levitical shepherds would wrap up the lambs in swaddling clothes to protect them.
When the angels appeared to the shepherds, they said to them, “This will be a sign to you. You’ll see a baby lying in a manger wrapped in swaddling clothes…”
~ Luke 2:12.
This is, obviously, significant, as it shows that the swaddling would have been an important connection point for the shepherds (and us).
Sobel asks, “What did the shepherds see when they arrived at the site of Jesus’ birth?
A baby born in the same place that the Passover lambs were born, swaddled like a Passover lamb, pointing to the fact that Messiah was the lamb of God who would take over the sins of the world.”
By the worlds standards, these shepherds were nobodies.
In God’s eyes, they were specially selected to witness and proclaim events that would change the world – and billions of lives – forever.
These nameless shepherds were not insignificant.
None of us are…
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men!
That’s interesting, Bob. I find it odd that it never realised the significance of Jesus being born in a lambs place would be a sign He was the Lamb of God. I wonder if Mary understood that. Perhaps she did since she was “pondering all these things in her heart”
Tongue was in my cheek. Speaking from the world’s standards, not God’s. Thanks for your insightful comments.
From Today’s Catch: “It’s sweet because it’s free. It’s sweet because it’s God’s grace given to us. It’s sweet because it’s the best thing that could ever happen to us.” Praise God.