Glory to God in the highest!

 

The angel said to the shepherds, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.  For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Christ and Lord.  And this will be a sign for you: you will find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.”  And suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel, praising God and saying: “Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”  [Luke 2:10–14]

After reading this passage tonight, I tried putting myself in the shoes of these shepherds.  Little excitement would have regularly come their way.  They were poor, simple shepherds who spent their days and nights tending the sheep of the fields.  That night, a group of them had gathered together for camaraderie.  It’s easy to imagine the scene of normal talking, laughing and being together.  Little did they realize what was about to happen.

As they were gathered, an angel of God appeared to them announcing “good news of great joy!”  They must have been stunned.  It’s why the angel first told them they should not be afraid.  But that’s only the beginning.  The angel announced that the Savior of the World had been born and then, much to their surprise, they witnessed the whole host of heavenly angels singing praises: “Gloria in excelsis Deo!”  “Glory to God in the highest!” 

Those humble shepherds were the first to be called by God to go and greet the newborn King.  What’s amazing is that God didn’t first call the “important” of the age to come worship.  He called those poor shepherds.

One thing this tells us is that, in the eyes of God, all are equal.  God doesn’t pick favorites from among those who are seen as important in the eyes of the world.  He sees the great value and dignity of each and every person and desires all of us, rich or poor, powerful or weak, to come to Him in adoration and love.

Christmas is a time filled with many exciting things.  Often there are gifts and gatherings, food and good times.  But more than anything else, Christmas must be seen as a time for us to step back and take in the deep and rich meaning of this sacred event.  We must see, first, that God entered our human condition and, in doing so, is able to identify with all that we experience in life.  God understands human life!  He lived it.

Second, we must understand that the birth of the Savior of the World and His appearance to shepherds reveals that each and every one of us is invited to come and meet Him.  God humbled Himself in the most profound way so that we could come to know Him and His perfect love for us.  “Do not be afraid,” as the angel said, to come and behold the Christ who came as your Savior.  Don’t be afraid to come to meet Him, love Him, adore Him and get to know Him.  God is given to us, today, as an infant.  Small, weak, fragile and innocent.  Don’t be afraid to gaze upon His humble presence and to give glory to God for His blessed coming.