It’s Christmas week! Merry Christmas.
When Heaven Sang
Let’s look at one final group in the Christmas story—the chorus of angels.
We know they lit up the sky and sang jubilantly. But did the other angels, besides Gabriel, who announced Jesus’ birth to Mary and Joseph, know about God’s plan? Once again, this requires a little “holy imagination.” I’m not being sacrilegious, but I’ve often wondered about this.
Were the angels expecting Jesus to come as the King when heaven sang?
How did they respond to seeing him in a manger as a baby?
Jesus, the Creator of the Universe, helpless?
Did they know that Jesus would be poor, an outcast who would flee for his life at around two years old?
An angel woke Joseph and told him to take his family and run to Egypt.
Perhaps the multitude peeked over the edge of heaven to this minuscule star called Earth and wondered what God was up to. I don’t know, but I wonder.
The angels rejoiced at God’s coming to Earth.
They proclaimed it loud and clear to the shepherds, not to the elite or those deemed successful and important. The most extraordinary baby announcement ever was proclaimed to outsiders in the back hills of Israel, who were then told to find Immanuel, not in a palace but in a barn.
Do angels experience emotions as humans do? If so, what were those emotions? Was there a party in heaven after the announcement?
We do know that when heaven sang, they announced Jesus’ birth with exultant joy.
Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.”
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.” Luke 2:9-14
They worshiped with loud, triumphant proclamations about God’s glory when he humbled himself and took on human flesh. Perhaps they didn’t understand God’s plan, but they exuberantly worshiped him anyway.
How often do you wonder what God might be doing?
Your life might not be where you wish it were this Christmas season. Perhaps you struggle with depression or are dealing with the aftershocks of betrayal. Maybe you’re grieving the death of someone close to you. Or, life seems less than what you dreamed. Please take a lesson from the angels and worship him exuberantly, even if you don’t understand or heaven feels silent.
This Christmas season, join with the angels and cry, “God, you are holy forever!”