Angels'
Song
“And the
messenger said to them, 'Don't be afraid, I hereby give you the good
news of a great joy which will be for all people, namely that a
savior was born for you today who is an anointed lord in the city of
David. And this is your sign: you'll find the baby wrapped up and
lying in a grain-crib.”
Luke 2-The
Unvarnished New Testament translated by Andy Gaus, p.116
So, this is the night of
the angels' song—“Glory in the highest to God, and on earth,
peace among people in his good favor.” There are a couple of
things to point out about this message delivered to the shepherds—one
is that the angel clearly said the good news was for ALL people; and
two, this baby, this one who would be an anointed lord, was born to
humble parents, who laid him in a grain-crib in a barn. Some people
think that shepherds were quaint and gentle people—they always look
that way in our nativity scenes—but they were not. They were poor,
often indentured, and, since they stayed in the fields with their
migrating herds, they were very likely dirty, smelly and unsavory.
Yet these were the very people to whom the angels announced the birth
of Jesus.
Also noteworthy is the
angels' blessing: that with the birth of this child, peace would come
on earth among “people in God's good favor.” I wonder who that
might be? Could you pin a flag on a map of the world, to indicate a
place in which the people are at peace because they are in God's good
favor? I'm trying to think of one.
Here is my Christmas
prayer: that for one night and one day, we the people of Planet Earth
may find peace among us. What fulfills the blessing of the heavenly
messengers is for us to lay down our weapons, and reach out our hands
to one another in brotherhood and good will. That is what the Prince
of Peace would give us if we were ready to receive it. May Emmanuel
be with you this day, and may you be at peace. Merry Christmas,
everyone.
In the Spirit,
Jane
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