Songs of Christmas - The Angels' Song

Luke 2:13-14 NIV

[13] Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, [14] “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/luk.2.13-14.NIV)

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

I wish you and your family a truly blessed time as we celebrate the birth of light into our dark world.

As I post these lines, I'm in a midnight Watchnight service at my church (timed posting really helps!). As it’s late, I'll keep my thoughts short and to the point.

I recently had the privilege of attending a Christmas concert put on by my daughter’s cohort in university. It was beautiful and moving. I was struck by the age of some of the songs they were singing. Some went back four centuries! They even sung a carol written for Canadian Huron Native Americans in 1642 which used imagery appropriate to their culture to explain the Nativity. Nothing at all wrong with that.

What struck me and moved me was how much that Christmas means to so many people across the world, and has meant for thousands of years.

But it’s not the trees and the songs and the gift-giving and the food. All these are later additions.

No, it’s the message. And it’s that message we will explore in this brief study of the angels' song.

Firstly we see The Inspired Song.

The Inspired Song

Luke 2:8-12 NIV

[8] And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. [9] An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. [10] But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. [11] Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. [12] This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/luk.2.8-12.NIV)

Songs are their most powerful not when they're put together by corporate types in a songwriting camp as if they were battery farmers for commercial hits, but when they are inspired by real life events. And I don’t mean people who trash their lives and those of other people so that they have something to write about in the wreckage. These people are self-centred fools. I have no respect for them.

No, I mean those who write songs to inspire during times of struggle. For example, if you can listen to Labbi Sifre's ‘Something Inside So Strong' about the Apartheid struggles for the black community in South Africa in the 1980s without hairs standing on the back of your neck, then I really wonder why. Or the classic ‘It Is Well With My Soul’, written by a songwriter who lost his children at sea and then had to sail passed the very place where they drowned is an extraordinarily powerful song.

The inspiration behind the angels' song is clear: Jesus Christ has been born. The longed-for Messiah has arrived. As Isaiah prophesied:

Isaiah 9:2 NIV

[2] The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/isa.9.2.NIV)

And John echoed:

John 1:5, 9 NIV

[5] The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

[9] The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world.

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/jhn.1.5-9.NIV)

We live in a dark world that only seems to get darker. Jesus came to bring light and hope and joy to a land that was dominated by subjugation and fear and corruption and despair.

He did it by coming to die on the cross for our sins.

Christmas is the glimmer of hope that grows and grows until despair is vanquished and the light defeats the darkness.

Tell me: isn’t that a fitting inspiration for joy and song?

As well as an inspired song, we also see that it was A Heavenly Song.

A Heavenly Song

Luke 2:13-14 NIV

[13] Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, [14] “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/luk.2.13-14.NIV)

This is truly extraordinary.

There are events that are celebrated far and wide. For example: royal weddings and births, Christmas, New Years, sporting victories.

All these are significant to us, but here we see an event of such earth-shattering importance that it rebounded in heaven!

There is no other place in the Bible outside of Revelation where we see an entire choir of angels joining in on worship. In Revelation, it’s always about the greatness of God and His salvation plan (see Revelation 5:9-10, 12 for examples).

That is precisely what is happening here.

Note the message: that the birth of Christ has brought God glory in heaven. It has rebounded from eternity to eternity. It is, without doubt, the single most important event in human history.

But note also the recipients: common shepherds! Some of them would likely have owned the sheep, others may have been hired labourers. They were a group of people who were looked down upon and despised by many of their own people, but who were absolutely essential to the functioning and wealth of village life.

When I went to my daughter’s concert, it was in a fine church in an upmarket part of the city. I changed my clothes before I went there. I didn’t want to let her down.

These angels appeared to dirty, smelly shepherds, taking care of their animals away from their community, in the pitch black of the night sky.

This tells us something so striking. Christmas is not an exclusive blessing. It is for all who will believe:

John 1:12-13 NIV

[12] Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— [13] children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/jhn.1.12-13.NIV)

The church does not own the copyright on Christmas. God does. It is His celebration of the birth of His Son. It is His prerogative to announce it to whomever He chooses and to allow whomever He chooses to repent and believe.

Christmas is for everyone who chooses to believe, just like the Gospel.

Apart from an inspired and heavenly song, we also see that it is An Earthly Song.

An Earthly Song

Luke 2:14 NIV

[14] “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/luk.2.14.NIV)

The Christmas carol ‘O Holy Night’ has an interesting history. It was written by Placide Cappeau, a French poet who received a commission from a local priest for an opera singer to sing. He was left wing, anti-slavery and anti-clerical. This actually led to this beautiful carol being banned in France.

However, it’s said that in 1870, at the height of the Franco-Prussian war, a French soldier stood up out of his trench, without his weapon, and sung the song. Moved by its beauty, a German soldier replied with a German carol. On that day, they declared a truce.

Peace broke out around the truth of the Gospel.

Isaiah 2:3-5 NIV

[3] Many peoples will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the temple of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.” The law will go out from Zion, the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. [4] He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore. [5] Come, descendants of Jacob, let us walk in the light of the Lord.

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/isa.2.3-5.NIV)

Micah 4:2-5 NIV

[2] Many nations will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the temple of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.” The law will go out from Zion, the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. [3] He will judge between many peoples and will settle disputes for strong nations far and wide. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore. [4] Everyone will sit under their own vine and under their own fig tree, and no one will make them afraid, for the Lord Almighty has spoken. [5] All the nations may walk in the name of their gods, but we will walk in the name of the Lord our God for ever and ever.

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/mic.4.2-5.NIV)

How many of you reading this have hot eyes stung with tears and are crying out inside, ‘Yes, Lord! This is what we want. Come, Lord Jesus! Silence the weapons of war! End the sale of the tools of war! We want peace! We need peace! We are sick of the wars in Ukraine, Yemen, Myanmar, Israel and Palestine, in sub-Saharan Africa! End them, Lord! End the suffering!’

I agree. I could not agree with anything any more strongly. The world has seen enough suffering due to mankind's greed and avarice and hatred. It has to end. It just has to.

But the angels sung about something much more than that.

John 14:27 NIV

[27] Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/jhn.14.27.NIV)

This is peace within as well as without. It is a peace that outlasts even situations that are anything but peaceful. And this peace is ours. Forever.

But there’s a condition. It’s right there in the angels' song:

Luke 2:14 NIV

[14] “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/luk.2.14.NIV)

This peace is for those ‘on whom His favour rests’. Or, more precisely, those who please God.

But how do we do that?

Firstly, we must believe Him:.

John 6:28-29 NIV

[28] Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?” [29] Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/jhn.6.28-29.NIV)

We can’t please God if we disbelieve Jesus. It’s as simple as that. And this belief is not just intellectual assent or a broad, outline agreement. No, this is a faith that causes us to work for Him (James 2:19-26).

That leads us to the second thing that pleases God: we must obey Him:

Hebrews 13:16 NIV

[16] And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/heb.13.16.NIV)

We cannot please God and disbelieve Jesus. Likewise, we cannot believe Jesus but disobey Him. These two things cannot co-exist.

However, there is something else we need to do to please God, which is that we must pray to Him.

Philippians 4:4-7 NIV

[4] Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! [5] Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. [6] Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. [7] And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/php.4.4-7.NIV)

Let me tell you something that sounds audacious, but I profoundly believe is true: you will not find peace in meditation. You will not find peace in retreats. You will not find peace in religious buildings. You will not find peace in drugs or medication. You will not find peace on pilgrimages. You will not fine peace in nature.

You will find peace this Christmas, and every day, only in Jesus: in believing in Him, obeying Him and bringing Him your concerns and your worries in prayer.

Nothing else works. Nothing ever will.

And this peace passes understanding, because it lasts through situations where there is no peace:

Isaiah 26:3 NIV

[3] You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/isa.26.3.NIV)

My heart's desire this Christmas is that you find peace.

Conclusion

Luke 2:13-14 NIV

[13] Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, [14] “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/luk.2.13-14.NIV)

My wife and I got engaged on November 2001 in the Philippines. It was a really happy occasion.

But something very strange – to me anyway – happened while we were there.

Some young kids came to the house and were singing Christmas carols outside. Okay, they weren’t all that tuneful. I doubt if they would ever get an audition for ‘The Voice Philippines’.

But seconds after they began their off-key rendition of a Filipino Christmas song, my future mother-in-law got angry and chased them away.

That confused me. Was I marrying into a family where the mother was The Grinch?

Then it was explained to me. In the Philippines, Christmas celebrations start on 1^st September. These kids had been carolling in their neighbourhood since then, singing pretty much the same song every time. And it wasn’t really sincere worship. They were actually doing it to beg. My mother-in-law had grown impatient with their daily tuneless attempts to get money from her and had had enough.

Christmas schmaltz and sentimentality is a big earner. Songs that come a certain emotional warmth get played on the radio and on supermarket PA systems for many years, enabling their publishers to rake in a fortune in replay fees.

These Christmas songs, however, are nowhere near that exploitative.

Here we see the Gospel, the message of salvation, relayed in music to a people who desperately needed it, having lost their identity and a whole lot more under the Roman army. They were repressed, occupied, subjugated, and even their religious leaders were double-dealing to assure their own power base.

But the coming of Jesus Christ was so different to all of that: simple, unassuming, in a quiet corner, yet wonderfully majestic and glorious. It inspired all these songs, and many more, to be sung in heaven and in earth to the glory of God.

But it also begs a question. We all want the benefits of Christmas: love, peace, hope, security.

Are we willing to believe, obey and trust God with our life?

That is where the true peace and meaning of Christmas is found.

And I hope you find it today.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, I believe in You. Thank You for coming to earth to save me by dying on the cross and rising again. Here and now, I give my life to obey and serve You. Show me how this Christmas Day, I pray. Amen.

Questions for Contemplation

·         What inspired this song? Why did it inspire it?

·         Where did praises resound at Christmas? Why is that important?

·         Will you believe in, obey and trust Jesus today? How can you do that?