The Message From Heaven
December 17th, 2020
Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
“Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
Luke 2:13-14, NIV
As a musician and choral conductor, I love the imagery of the heavenly host, singing together in praise of God and with a message of peace for humanity. I’ve performed settings of this text by Handel, Vivaldi, Rachmaninoff, and several others, in addition to carols containing the words in Latin, “Gloria in excelsis deo.” Although the Scripture doesn’t specifically mention angels singing while they praised God, I’m keeping with tradition here.
In William Barclay’s Bible commentary, he writes that births in ancient Palestine were times of great joy and celebration. Family, friends, and local musicians would gather near and wait for the announcement that a baby had been born. (Incidentally, if it was a boy, they would burst into song. If it was a girl, they would all just shrug and go home. I’m using all of my self-discipline to stay on topic and let that go for another day.) Barclay writes the following:
Jesus was born in a stable in Bethlehem and therefore that ceremony could not be carried out. It is a lovely thought that the minstrelsy of heaven took the place of the minstrelsy of earth, and angels sang the songs for Jesus that the earthly singers could not sing.
Here is a picture of God with His angels, bursting forth like a proud Papa and pulling out all the stops to proclaim the power and the beauty of the occasion. In this defining moment, ushering in a new era of humanity, God chooses to communicate his message in just two sentences.
First, glory to God in the highest, no matter what, in all circumstances. Whether I feel like it or not, that’s the reality of things.
Second, peace on earth to those on whom His favor rests; not on those who go to church, not on everyone but me, not on those who follow the rules, but on all humankind. All of us with whom He is pleased. Peace.
Notes: If you have Spotify, I made a playlist of some of my favorite choral arrangements of this text from the past 400 years: bit.ly/luke21314
Prayer: Lord God, just as You burst into that night and declared Your Presence, peace, and concern for humankind to the shepherds, burst into our hearts this season with the same message. Open our eyes and ears, Holy Spirit, that we may hear and internalize the angels’ message, a message that was echoing through the heavens long before and will continue long after that night. Help us to hear what was and is there all along. Help us to proclaim that same message with our lives that others may hear, too.
Molly Rule
