Do You Hear?

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby keeping watch over their flocks by night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them, and they were sore afraid. But the angel of the Lord said to them, Do not be afraid for I bring you good news of great joy that will be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior who is Christ the Lord. Luke 2:8-11

The story is told of Franklin Roosevelt, who, after enduring long receiving lines at the White House, complained that people didn’t really hear what he was saying. One day he decided to try an experiment. To each person who came by and shook his hands, he murmured, “I murdered my grandmother this morning.” The guests responded with remarks such as, “Marvelous. Keep up the good work. We are proud of you.” It was not until the end of the line when Roosevelt was greeting the emperor of Bolivia that the words were actually heard. Casually, the emperor leaned over to Roosevelt and said, “I’m sure she had it coming!!”

There is a great difference between listening and actually hearing. My Daddy struggled with hearing loss in his right ear most of his life, so many times he appeared to be listening, but he didn’t actually hear. Many times people would respond to his question, but he didn’t hear the response, so he just repeated himself in a louder voice. This provoked others to continue speaking louder each time until finally Daddy would hear and remark, “Well, you don’t need to yell, I heard you!”

Sometimes when God is speaking, we just either don’t listen or choose not to hear. God uses many different ways to speak to us in this world, but the question is, Do we hear?

Angels were important in the announcing of the birth of Jesus. God had them deliver both words of hope and warning in such a glorious setting that it was impossible for the recipients to ignore them. They had to be heard!!

What keeps us from hearing the voice of God during this wonderful season? First, the busyness of the season sometimes keeps us too busy to listen and hear. We listen to our time clock instructing us to buy that gift, decorate that house, wrap those packages, but we don’t hear God’s voice above the traffic asking us to slow down and listen for Him.

Secondly, Christmas can become routine. We do the same things, keep a frenzied schedule, and listen to the same Christmas story without really hearing it. Our relationship with Jesus was never meant to be routine, and this story was never meant to be rotely celebrated. It was meant to be a life changing relationship that was meant to be beautiful, exciting, and fresh every day. If we don’t hear God, routine sets in.

Lastly, Christmas can lose its awe. The shepherds were witnesses to this glory and awe, but they didn’t keep it to themselves, they went to see and then told others. In order for us to keep the sense of the awe of this night, we have to spread the story of a virgin who gave birth to our Savior who still lives today!

We are just like a piano whose strings must be adjusted after use to maintain that harmonious sound. If we continue going through this season with pressure after pressure, problem after problem, and item after item, we will become like loose strings on a piano making a disharmonious sound. God doesn’t want to hear that! He wants to hear our hearts singing with the angels as we celebrate the Savior’s birth.

This Christmas do you hear anew God’s story of Jesus’ birth? My prayer is that we won’t miss the truth that is available to all who have eyes to see, ears to hear, and a heart that is ready to know and believe.

Said the little lamb to the shepherd boy, Do you hear what I hear? Ringing through the sky, shepherd boy. A song, a song, high up in the trees with a voice as big as the sea. Said the child to the people everywhere. Listen to what I say. Pray for peace people everywhere. Listen to what I say . The child. the child sleeping in the night, He will bring us goodness and light. Song is Do You Hear What I Hear? lyrics by Regeny Noel