"Luke 2:8-14 describes the angel chorus who appeared to a group of shepherds outside Bethlehem. Do you know why they lit up the entire sky with their presence and their antiphonal voices? They had the incredible honor of announcing the long-awaited arrival of Israel’s promised Messiah and our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Now consider this: heaven had been silent for four hundred long years before that first Christmas. Can you imagine it? Not a word from God. No fiery revelation from a mountain. Nothing . . . except the deafening echo of “Thus saith the Lord.” If you open your Bible to the page before Matthew 1:1, you’ll probably find a decorative insert or some kind of historical chart to mark the break between the Old and New Testaments. But that small gap in your Bible is huge in terms of history. Four centuries elapsed between God’s final word to the prophets and the birth of Christ.
Because the angels’ announcement broke that long silence, I believe those heavenly messengers couldn’t wait to cut loose! After all, they had been rehearsing since eternity past when the Godhead first designed their plan for the redemption of mankind. They had been told, “Wait.”... “Not yet.”... Finally, God’s command came: “Sing!” Ever since, God’s people have joined in the songs of Christmas, and we haven’t stopped singing yet. I, for one, don’t plan to stop!"
Quote taken from an email from Chuck Swindoll, pastor of Stonebriar Community Church in Frisco, TX, and founder, CEO and speaker on Insight for Living.
3 comments:
I really like that mental picture.
maybe it's semantics, but I don't think God's angels were present the first time Christ's Mass was celebrated.
Hey Bro. Noah - well, I think an angel, then a multitude of the heavenly host announced His birth to the shepherds, who then went to see Him, right?
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