R.C. Sproul

Days were fulfilled for her to be delivered.

She brought forth her firstborn son, wrapped him in swaddling cloths, laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

The entrance of Jesus into this world is against the backdrop of humiliation.

No place for him to lay his head.

However, at that very moment,

when the babe is wrapped in the cloth of humiliation.

The Father God is not satisfied that the circumstances of the birth of His Son be only in terms of humiliation, but must also be accompanied with exultation.

That that shame must be balanced.

with glory, not in the manger, not in the cave or the stable where they were, but on the outskirts of the village.

Out in the fields were the lowest evaluated people of the land.

The shepherds were keeping their flocks at night.

living outside, being sheltered by crudely built huts while they're overlooking, superintending the flocks that belong probably not simply to them but to others as well.

And they would watch these flocks through the night, and they would take turns sleeping

and keeping vigil over their sheep, lest the sheep be attacked by wild animals or by rustlers of sorts.

And so out there on the plains where the sheep were being watched that night, it was quiet.

It really was a silent night.

And as most of the shepherds were sleeping in that silence, there would only be an occasional punctuation of the silence by the bleating of a sheep, but that would be it for the noise.

And then, suddenly, no prior announcement, no warning,

No human messenger coming out to them, shaking them awake and saying, watch out, this night is an incredible night.

You won't believe what's going to take place in just a few moments.