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The Awe of Christ’s Birth
Posted By Janice
Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”
Luke 2:13-14
It is Christmas pageant season – time for our kids to don bathrobes and halos and stumble through the Christmas story while we parents clutch our breaking hearts. (This year my son is the innkeeper and has a whole line to himself! I think I am even more excited than he is.)
And as we sit and listen, we will hear the familiar verses as little groups of angels muster up their most joyful voices, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”
But while our precious angels, stunned by the glare of the spotlight, will do their best, I am pretty sure the story will lose a bit in the interpretation.
In fact, I must admit, I have never been able to adequately picture the real scene: the sky lit up with a heavenly host praising the Almighty God who had come to save us sinners. It must have been awesome. Had I been there, I would have probably fallen to the ground, completely changed forever.
And then Christmas wouldn’t be about presents and stuffed turkeys. It wouldn’t even be about getting together with family. It would be about the truest joy ever felt – it would be about seeing the power and purity of God and knowing he was here to save us. It would be about an incredible peace I can only imagine.
But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.”
Luke 2:10-11
Discussion: Have you been able to break through the familiarity of the Christmas story and grasp the awe of Christ’s birth? What has helped you to move past holiday traditions to celebrate the true joy and peace of Christ?
Dec 9th, 2006
I was just thinking about this today - how we are so comfortable with and used to “the Christmas story” that we somehow miss glimpses of the true Christmas glory. One thing that has touched me this year is having a baby. He’s my second, but I remember it being the same with my first - somehow holding a baby this time of year gives me a feeling of connectedness with the first Christmas. With Mary and all the questions and anticipation she must have been dealing with - along with all the things she pondered in her heart. There was God - in the flesh! She was holding him, a helpless baby, needing love and comfort and nurturing. It’s just mind-boggling!
Thanks for this post. It makes me want to look for more ways to experience the Christmas story more deeply.
Awesome post! Teaching young children music has helped me to dig deep and see past the craziness of the season to the true meaning of Christmas. More of Christ, less of me is my cry!