By 
Long, long ago, in a field far away, there were shepherds tending their sheep in the darkness of night near a small village called Bethlehem. You have sung about these shepherds, and this village, and this very night each Christmas season of your life. I’ve seen hundreds of images of Bethlehem on Christmas cards. Always, the peaceful village is pictured from above, with a brilliant star shining its heavenly light on the scene.
Not so very long ago, on my first visit to the Holy Land I walked from my hotel out into a green field high above the actual ancient town of Bethlehem. Bethlehem is not in ruins, as so many of the cities of the Bible are today. It is now occupied by Muslims, and at present, Jews are not allowed to enter.
Sitting on the hillside studying such a holy place, I felt a sense of awe sweep over me.
The angels Luke wrote about in his account of Jesus’ Bethlehem birth became very real. Perhaps they had appeared in that exact field where I sat to announce to lowly shepherds the most glorious news ever sent from heaven to earth.
Luke chronicles this mysterious, majestic scene, telling that in the darkness one magnificent, shining angel of the Lord suddenly stood before the men. The glory of the heavenly messenger, and of the Lord Himself, enveloped and terrified the simple shepherds. The angel tells them, “Don’t be afraid.” Rather, he brings good news of great joy to them saying, “Today in the city of David a Savior was born for you, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be the sign for you: You will find a baby wrapped tightly in a cloth and lying in a manger” (Luke 2:10-12, CSB).
In celebration of the good news of great joy, suddenly a multitude of angels appeared with the first one, breaking out in praise to God saying, Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to people he favors! (Luke 2:14, CSB). Though the Scripture does not record whether these heavenly hosts stood on the earth as did the first angel, tradition has pictured them as filling the heavens over the field near the newborn king’s birthplace.
Joy to the world! The Lord had come!
The shepherds found the baby and shared their news. Jesus entered the world as all earthly children do. Yet He was not only the firstborn son of Mary in His humanity, He was also the one and only begotten Son of God. He arrived in human form with the eternal title, Firstborn over all creation (Colossians 1:15, CSB, emphasis mine). The preincarnate Christ existed before the creation of the world, and was the cause of all that was created: For everything was created by him, in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through him and for him (Colossians 1:16, CSB).
Jesus lived the life and finished the work He was sent into this world to do. He came to defeat death, and to rise from the dead to be the source of eternal life for all who believe. Our resurrection was made possible and certain by His, and so He also bears the eternal title, Firstborn from the dead. As such He is given glory in heaven (Revelation 1:5, CSB). The eternal life He imparts to us is His resurrection life.
There is a certain field near Bethlehem. It is not a field of dreams but one of unspeakable glory, where the Father’s gift of His Son to the world was joyfully announced by herald angels in all of their splendor and glory. Not long ago, I sat in a field near Bethlehem and as I thought of Jesus, the newborn; Jesus, the Firstborn of All Creation; and Jesus, the Firstborn from the Dead, it seemed to me that He was very near. I joined in the praise of the angels recorded by Luke, “Glory to God in the highest heaven” (Luke 2:14) for the beautiful gift of His one and only Firstborn Son.
Susan Howard
I am Susan Howard and I live in Tyler, Texas. I am the mother of 3 grown children, all married, and the grandmother of 7. I grew up in Tyler as the daughter of a Methodist minister so from my earliest memory I have loved being in church and learning about the Lord. I graduated from Southern Methodist University with a B.A. in English and History along with a teaching certification. I taught English for several years, but my passion is to teach the Bible and I have done that most of my life. I have taught Sunday school at every level, several middle school Bible studies, BSF classes and many other women’s Bible studies, most of those in my home. Desiring to strengthen my teaching, after raising my children, I attended and graduated from Dallas Theological Seminary in 2014 with a Master of Arts degree in Biblical Studies. I currently serve as Executive Director of Womenary, a theological studies program for women.
When I am not teaching and studying, I am nurturing grandchildren, attending their soccer games, helping them with school projects, and thoroughly enjoying the blessing that they are. Otherwise, I love to play golf, to read, to plant and grow things, to have lunch with my friends, to pray, and to watch for the next place God is leading me to do His work. I would describe myself as a life-long learner and I have found that that description is accurate and appropriate for women I meet that are following hard after Christ, in whom all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden. (Col. 2:3) My desire is to be continuously discovering as many of those treasures as He gives me eyes to see, to the end that I may live according to His wisdom and knowledge and make it known to others.
Susan can be contacted at info@womenary.com 
