Coffeeville First Baptist Church by Craig Baker 12/19/24
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This week we consider the third and shortest song in our Christmas Song series which is a song known as “Gloria in Excelsis” or the Angel’s Song. The passage in which we find the angel’s song, Luke 2:8-20, is certainly one of the most well-known passages of the Christmas story. In this passage we are told of a group of shepherds who received the most angelic message. In the beginning of Luke 2 we are told that a decree went out from the emperor that a census was to be taken, so every male was to return with his family to his town of birth to be counted. That meant Joseph and Mary had to travel the 90 or so miles from Nazareth to Bethlehem. It was a journey that would have taken around four to five days. Mary was still pregnant, but getting close to having the child, so just a few months had passed since the events of Luke 1. Most of us know the story of how Joseph and Mary arrived in Bethlehem and could not find a place to stay. Because of the census the town was overrun with people, so Joseph and Mary were forced to stay in a stable. We do not know exactly how long Joseph and Mary were in Bethlehem before she had the baby, but verse 6 tells us that while they were there the days were completed for her to be delivered. Luke continues in verse 8 to tell us that in the area that night there was a group of shepherds who were out in the fields watching their flock. These shepherds are often portrayed as ragged, dirty, misfits who were rejects of society and had no business being involved in the Messiah’ coming. Others argue that these were priestly shepherds who were responsible for watching over the special flock of unblemished lambs that were used for Passover sacrifices. Either way, I have no doubt that as these shepherds prepared to settle down for the night, they had no idea what was about to happen to them. The Bible never tells us exactly what it was like to be a shepherd out in the fields at night, but I imagine it being a lot like the night watchmen of old. Once everything was locked up, there wasn’t much to do except sit and wait for morning to come. If you have ever worked or stood watch over something through the night, you understand how difficult it can be at times to simply stay awake, especially if you are doing some mundane tasks. You also understand how time can seem to stand still as the night drags on and you count down the hours, minutes, and even seconds until morning. Try to put yourself in the shepherds’ place. The night was the most dangerous time for the flock, so you go through your evening routine making sure the flock is secure. You and the other shepherds split the night up into watches. With the evening routine complete, you try to get some sleep before your watch begins. You are awoken by a nudge and told it is your turn to take watch. You take your post and sit in the still silence of the night, groggy and tired struggling to stay awake. Just when you think you cannot stay awake another second, through the darkness and silence of the night the brightness and beauty of God’s glory explodes all around you (Luke 2:10-12). I wonder what the shepherds must have thought as their eyes were fixed on the angel above them and the glory of the Lord lit up everything around them. At this point, I imagine the shepherds were experiencing a rush of countless thoughts and emotions. They were probably thinking things could not get any more frightening or amazing and just trying to comprehend the angel’s message when verse 13 tells us that suddenly the sky was filled with a multitude of the heavenly host praising God. I have shared before that we cannot know with certainty how many a multitude is, but the idea is that there were so many it was impossible to count. The phrase “heavenly host” refers to the Lord’s army in other passages of Scripture, so the shepherds watched as heaven suddenly opened and an uncountable army of angels began to worship God saying, ““Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!” This song of Christmas is different from the others we have seen in this series because it is not a hymn that rose from the heart of man, but an anthem that came down from heaven. Imagine the scene. We make the mistake of thinking the host of angels said, “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men,” then disappear, but the verse says the angels were praising God. The wording here indicates this was something that continued for some time. At the birth of Jesus, the Son of God, the Messiah, a heavenly host of angels filled the sky praising God declaring the peace and goodwill He has given to all mankind. The word “peace” appears over 400 times in the Bible. In the Old Testament, “peace” is the word shalom, and is a state of wholeness and harmony that is intended to resonate in all relationships. The word “peace” in the New Testament means to “join together; to set at one again.” In sending His Son Jesus, God made a way through our faith in Jesus for us to be joined together in wholeness and harmony with Him, to have peace. I pray your heart is filled with the His peace this Christmas.
