Do You Hear What I Hear?

 

Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:16-20 ESV).

 

"Do You Hear What I Hear?" is a song written in October, 1962, with lyrics by Noël Regney and music by Gloria Shayne. The pair, married at the time, wrote it as a plea for peace during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Regney had been invited by a record producer to write a Christmas song, but he was hesitant due to the commercialism of Christmas. It has sold tens of millions of copies and has been covered by hundreds of artists. One of my favorites is by Celtic Woman (You may watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zPaKwA7838).

 

Over 2000 years ago, the Savior of the world was born. Have you ever stopped to think about how people found out about His birth? The song “Do You Hear What I Hear?” gives us an example of how the news of His birth might have spread. The song starts with the Holy Spirit asking the lamb, “Do you see what I see?” The Lamb then goes to the shepherd and asks, “Do you hear what I hear?” The Shepherd immediately goes to the King and asks, “Do you know what I know?” When they shared what God had told them, an entire nation heard about the birth of their Savior, Jesus, and what His birth meant for the entire world.

 

Here’s the great news: this too is our opportunity as followers of Christ. We can share with others what we have been told! God reveals Himself to all of us in different ways, depending on our personalities and gifts. For some, He shows us visible things about Himself, like a star in the sky. For others, we hear His voice; and then some of us grow closer to Him best through our intellect. The question is what are we doing with what God gives us? We must realize that God will use us to bring people to Him through what He has revealed to us. Lives are changed when we tell the people in our lives what God has shown and done for us.