Luke 2:8-14 *
In the name of the One whose birth we celebrate today, dear friends:
For three consecutive Wednesdays in December we contemplated the anthems of Advent, the songs of Mary and Zechariah and Simeon. Three different people, three different voices, three different titles, but all three songs flow from a common source: faith.
Mary’s song was a song of faith repeated. When the angel told her that God had chosen
her to give birth to the Savior, not only did Mary believe this amazing
news. She couldn’t keep it to
herself. As soon as she reached the home
of her cousin Elizabeth, Mary burst into a song of praise, a song we call the Magnificat: “My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior”
(Luke
Zechariah’s song was a song of faith restored. When the angel Gabriel told him that he and
his wife would have a son in their old age, Zechariah was skeptical. Because he doubted, Zechariah was not able to
speak until after that miracle child had been born. After a year of silence, after a year of
meditation, after a year of anticipation, Zechariah knew exactly what he wanted
to say. His song has come to be known as
the Benedictus: “Praise be to the Lord, the God of
Simeon’s song was a song of faith rewarded. The Holy Spirit had promised this righteous
and devout man that he would see the Christ child before he died. He waited and watched and watched and waited. And in God’s good time, Simeon’s patience was
rewarded. Taking the baby Jesus into his
arms, he sang this lullaby, the song we know as the Nunc Dimittis:
“Sovereign Lord, as
you have promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which
you have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the
Gentiles and for glory to your people
It is sad that this concert of Advent anthems has to come to an end. Or does it? Even though the season is over, the singing continues. God himself has composed a very special song for us this morning, a song that was first preformed by an angelic choir, a song that captures the feelings of every believer on the day of our Savior’s birth. Call it a Christmas encore. Today God’s saints on earth join with God’s angels in heaven to sing...
GLORIA IN EXCELSIS
I. The mood
II. The music
III. The message
The shepherds weren’t expecting anything out of the ordinary when they went out to the fields. They were probably settling in for the night, a night like many other nights they had spent in the Judean countryside: the same cold air, the same hard ground, the same stubborn sheep.
What would it take to break their normal routine? What would it take to change their mood? Some people today say they need to hear certain songs to get into the Christmas spirit. In this case God used a song to change the mood of the shepherds forever.
This song was no ordinary Christmas song. This song came with an angelic introduction. “An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them” (Luke 2:9). Talk about a change in atmosphere. In an instant, night became day. In an instant, darkness was replaced with light. In an instant, an uneventful evening turned into an unbelievable experience.
Yesterday I looked through the stack of Christmas cards I received this year to see what various artists used to create their Christmas scenes. Even though every card was different, some themes were repeated: a country church, a snow covered hillside, an intimate manger scene.
Many cards try to create a Christmas mood that is quiet and peaceful and serene, but this doesn’t really match up with what the shepherds actually saw. The angel’s unannounced appearance to the shepherds was anything but quiet. The angel’s glorious appearance was anything but peaceful. And the sudden appearance of an angel chorus was anything but serene. The mood of the first Christmas Eve can best be described as glory-filled. And to match the mood, the Lord provided some glorious music.
Think of some of the most famous choirs in the world: the St. Olaf Christmas Choir, the Vienna Boys’ Choir, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. These world renowned singing groups fill concert halls night after night, but they could never hold a candle to God’s angel chorus because this great company of the heavenly host was literally out of this world.
When the angels sang for the shepherds on Christmas Eve, it was not the climax of a professionally produced Christmas special. There were no pyrotechnics or special effects involved. The choir was not accompanied by an ensemble of brass and strings and percussion.
Voices, heavenly voices, angelic voices filled the shepherds’ ears. As wonderful as the music was, as impressive as the angel-filled sky was, as overloaded as their senses were, the best was yet to come. To go along with a glorious mood and glorious music, the angels proclaimed a glorious message:
“Suddenly a great
company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor
rests’” (Luke 2:13,14).
Glory was a concept familiar to God’s people. In the Old Testament, the glory of the Lord
appeared to Moses and the Israelites in the form of a cloud. Five hundred years later David wrote: “The heavens declare the glory of God; the
skies proclaim the work of his hands” (19:1).
But for most people (and this included the shepherds), glory was an abstract concept. It was something to read about and remember from the days of the Exodus. It was something to be inferred from the wonders of God’s creation. Glory was something every believer anticipated in heaven, but it was not something to be experienced on earth…until now.
With absolutely no warning, the shepherds found themselves standing in the presence of the glory of God. Maybe that explains why their initial reaction was fear. The holiness all around them exposed the unholiness inside of them. And they were terrified.
But God never intended this revelation to strike fear in the
hearts of the shepherds. God’s glory was
accompanied by glorious news. The Lord
sent his holy angel to announce the arrival of a holy baby: “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will
be for all the people. Today in the town
of
A Savior has been born. In that simple statement, thousands of years of promises and prophecies were fulfilled. A Savior has been born. In that single birth, thousands years of watching and waiting were rewarded. A Savior has been born. That is the good news. That good news is for all people. That is why we are here today. That is why celebrate today. We sing “Glory to God in the highest” because God’s Son has brought peace to earth.
But it wasn’t easy. The angels sang: “On earth peace to men on whom his favor rests,” but Jesus was not able to enjoy the peace he gave to others. While he was still a baby, King Herod tried to kill him. Later people from his hometown wanted to stone him. The spiritual leaders hated him. His followers deserted him. And one of his own conspired to kill him.
Jesus’ thirty three years on this earth were filled with headaches and heartaches, but everything that happened to him was part of God’s plan for peace. Jesus was born to die. He was born to die for the sins of the world. He was born to die for you. Jesus wrapped himself in human flesh and came into this world two thousand years ago to present you with the greatest gift of all time.
Even though bombs and bullets are flying in other parts of the world, you have peace. Even though your faith in Jesus is puzzling to some and offensive to others, you have peace. Even though you do not always share the zeal of the shepherds to spread the good news, you still have peace. Even though the thought of standing in the presence of a holy God may make your sinful body tremble with fear, you still have peace. Peace with God is your permanent personal possession because Jesus was born and lived and died and rose again for you.
‘Glory to God in the
highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests’” (Luke
All we can do is imagine. Close your eyes and imagine that you are a
shepherd on that lonely hillside outside of