Gloria in Excelsis Deo!
In an ancient field a few anonymous shepherds were settled in for a normal nights’ watch when, “Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them.” I don’t think our imaginations can fully grasp the overwhelming feeling of that supernatural experience. In one moment they may have been chuckling about a funny story — and then, to sanctify a phrase, “all heaven broke loose.”
“I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people.” The Lord said to Abram, “I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.” But some of these branches from Abraham’s tree — some of the people of Israel — have been broken off. And you Gentiles, who were branches from a wild olive tree, have been grafted in. So now you also receive the blessing God has promised Abraham and his children, sharing in the rich nourishment from the root of God’s special olive tree. (Adapted from Genesis 12:3; Romans 11:17)
“The Savior — yes, the Messiah, the Lord — has been born today…” The Lord God said to the serpent, “I will cause hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.” When the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. The Son of God came to destroy the works of the devil. (From Genesis 3:14, Galatians 4:4, 1 John 3:8)
“…in Bethlehem, the City of David!” You, O Bethlehem, are only a small village among all the people of Judah. Yet a ruler of Israel will come from you, one whose origins are from the distant past. Say to my servant David, “This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies has declared: Your house and your kingdom will continue before me for all time, and your throne will be secure forever.” His government and its peace will never end. He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David for all eternity. (Micah 5:2, 2 Samuel 7:8,16, Isaiah 9:7)
“You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.” The Lord himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means “God is with us”). And she gave birth to her first child, a son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them. (Isaiah 7:14, Luke 2:7)
“Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others — the armies of heaven — praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.’”
The Christmas story unfolds as part of God’s larger plan to redeem His creation. It was announced in the devastation of the Fall; promised to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and David; prophesied by Isaiah and other Old Testament prophets; embodied and completed in the person of Jesus Christ. And God’s plan continues today in us, the Church, as we joyfully labor to fulfill the Great Commission.
The angels saw the majesty of God’s plan — and they rejoiced. The shepherds beheld God’s plan, in infant form, and they rejoiced — and then went to tell others. The more I understand God’s redemptive plan, the more I am captivated by His love and awed by His glory — and the more I motivated to proclaim it. While we see in Scripture and history the hand of God carrying out His plan, I believe there is much we don’t yet see. I anticipate the day when we, the Redeemed, shall know and experience the fullness of what God has done for us. And in our joyous response we will even drown out the angels.
