Advent: December 24

Angels had watched in awe as the Son, the second person of the Trinity, the Word, entered into an ovum of a young girl. They had wondered as their Beloved took to himself human flesh and blood, formed a brain, grew fingernails, received nourishment through an umbilical cord. They knew He was changing, growing, and their joy that God’s creation would soon get to see Him was limitless. They waited while His mother labored in pain and marveled in wonder when they saw His face … it was a human face now. When He took a breath, everything on this dark planet changed.

“Glory to God in the highest!” they shouted. “There will be peace now on earth! He’s coming to those with whom He is pleased!” God alone is wise enough to formulate a plan to save this cursed world. God alone loves enough to send His most treasured Son to be part of it. God alone is powerful enough to cause it to come about, just as He had foretold, and just at the right moment. And, God alone is good enough to continue to love when even His chosen ones had turned from Him … and will continue to turn from Him.

It is interesting that the angels sang songs about peace at this moment because Jesus himself said that He didn’t come to bring peace but rather a sword (Matthew 10:34). Within a few months, a sword will find its way to Bethlehem, a sword that will deprive infants and toddlers of life. Jesus himself knew better than anyone else that love for Him might bring conflict in families—but in comparison to the assurance of peace with God, conflict with others is miniscule. Everywhere Jesus went, He had a polarizing affect; He was the sort of Man you either loved or hated because He was so very consistently himself.

Tonight, we can glorify God because He’s sent His Son to bring peace for His loved ones between heaven and earth. Yes, there is and always will be wars and rumors of wars here. Soon the kingdom of peace that He has promised will be fully realized and all the sin that produces all our conflicts will be gone and we will be able to rest fully in Him. “Glory to God in the highest!”

It is Christmas Eve!! Tomorrow is the big day! Perhaps in your family you open all of your presents today, and so right now you are wishing you could just go and play. When you opened your favorite gift or when you open your best gift tomorrow you are going to feel very excited. You might even say, “Yippeeee!!!!” You might even do a little dance. That feeling of excitement you will have is how the angels felt when they came to tell the shepherds the good news. The shouted, “GLORY!!!!” That is another way to say, “YIPPEEEE!!! THE MOST EXCITING THING HAS HAPPENED!!!!”

Do you know why they shouted “Glory to God?” Well, it was because they knew that Jesus was coming to make peace between God and us. They knew what Jesus being born would do for our lives. They knew how Jesus would change everything for us. The angels knew the good news. Do you know the good news? Do you know that Jesus lived the life that we are supposed to live, that He always obeyed? Do you know that Jesus took all of the punishment that we deserve for all of our sin? Do you know that right now, when He looks at you, God sees Jesus? I hope you know all of those happy things, because that is what we have been talking about for the whole month. We can shout, “GLORY TO GOD!”, just like the angels did way back then, because we know now the good news they knew that day in Bethlehem.