"And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those who he favors’!"
It began on a dark, cold night. A baby boy was born into a world that had little awareness of his arrival. Those that did were people often despised and avoided. His father was a simple carpenter; his mother a young innocent girl. The first creatures to see him, other than his parents and perhaps a midwife present for the birth, were the animals that normally lived in the stable which served as his "first home." Even the bed in which he was laid to sleep was but a feeding trough, a manger. Yet, all around him was the light of God, bringing joy to the hearts of his parents.
"And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those who he favors’!"
Out in the cold night shepherds kept watch over their flocks. I can picture them in my mind’s eye, huddling together to ward off the cold, maybe able to have a small fire for a little warmth. Without warning, a great light begins to shine around these shepherds, initially blinding them because of the light’s brightness. Then from within the light an angel appears and begins to speak in tones that calm the anxiousness of the shepherds and soothe their worried minds. "Be not afraid; see, I am bringing you good news of great joy. This very day there is born in the city of David a Savior. He is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be the sign for you; when you enter the city you will find a child wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger."
"And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those who he favors’!"
The angel departed from the presence of the shepherds. When the shepherds regained their composure, they turned to one another and said, "Let us go into Bethlehem and see for ourselves that which has been told to us. And again, I see the shepherds, getting up, taking a look around them to see that the sheep were secure for the moment, then hastening down the hillside as fast as they dared go, and hurrying into the city. In the stillness of the night, they are drawn to the stable where Jesus was born, and there the shepherds find Mary and Joseph, and the child laying in the manger. The words spoken by the angel were magnified by the visual image now before them. They could not contain the feelings that now overwhelm them, and they began to tell to everyone they see what the angel had said to them up on the mountain. And those who heard were amazed at the words of the shepherds. And I can see the weak smile upon Mary’s face as she heard those words of the shepherds, for she knew their worth, and treasured them and pondered them in her heart.
Then the shepherds needed to return to their sheep, for in the darkness they could easily fall prey to the night prowlers. And as they traveled back into the hills, they glorified God, and praised his name for all that they had heard and seen.
"And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those who he favors’!"
Tonight is cold and dark. We are warm gathered here to worship God and praise his name for all that we have heard and seen of this night so long ago. We, too, are invited to share the joy of Christmas. We, too, can witness the presence of the angel bringing us the good news, as ". . . suddenly there is with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those who he favors’!"
Tonight, as we celebrate once again the birth of our Savior Jesus, the Christ, and remember all that he did in his lifetime to show us the way to reuniting with God, let us also take the time to remember those of our family, our human family, who will be celebrating this night and this glorious occasion in far away places, separated from families and friends. Yet the angel is present there as well, filling them with the wonderment which the shepherds received, and to them will that spectacle on the hillside be relived as ". . . suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those who he favors’!"
Tonight, I pray for peace. Tonight, I pray for tolerance. Tonight, I pray for the end of all hostilities and for the beginning of a true brotherhood and sisterhood amongst God’s creation. Tonight I pray that the Joy of that First Christmas morning will become the Joy of all the world. I pray that the birth of a baby so long ago will warm every frozen heart and thaw every frigid soul that has lost sight of God’s greatest gift – the gift of life, the gift of eternity with all the hosts of heaven. Tonight I pray that this Christmas will indeed be Merry, and that the year to come will indeed be a new and wonderful year, a year wherein love prevails.
May God bless each and everyone here this evening, and everyone you know, and even those whom you do not know. For that is why I am here. I am here to proclaim the love of God for all of creation. I am here to proclaim God’s promise of eternal life. I am here to proclaim this night the celebration of the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ.
"And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those who he favors’!
Let us share the joy of Christmas.
Amen.