Hark! The Herald Angels Sing

Listen again.  You have heard it before and will most likely hear it again.  Listen in…

Hark! the herald angels sing,
"Glory to the newborn King:
peace on earth, and mercy mild,
God and sinners reconciled!"
Joyful, all ye nations, rise,
join the triumph of the skies;
with th'angelic hosts proclaim,
"Christ is born in Bethlehem!"

CHORUS

Hark! the herald angels sing,
"Glory to the newborn King"

Christ, by highest heaven adored,
Christ, the everlasting Lord,
late in time behold him come,
offspring of the Virgin's womb:
veiled in flesh the Godhead see;
hail th'incarnate Deity,
pleased with us in flesh to dwell,
Jesus, our Immanuel.

Hail the heaven-born Prince of Peace!
Hail the Sun of Righteousness!
Light and life to all he brings,
risen with healing in his wings.
Mild he lays his glory by,
born that we no more may die,
born to raise us from the earth,
born to give us second birth. 

That could have been written in many different places or in an audience that knew something was up.  Jesus is the gift of heaven, the promises from the Old Testament fulfilled and what we all need and have longed for.

Think about the shepherds.  It was a normal day, like so many others.  Out of nowhere comes an angel.  They appear, delivered and left.  But they left with a longing for more and with an experience of God’s glory!

Luke 2:8-20  NLT

That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. 9 Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, 10 but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. 11 The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! 12 And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.” 13 Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.” 15 When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” 16 They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. 17 After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. 18 All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished, 19 but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often. 20 The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them.

The shepherds, like us, had expectations and a desire for greater days, for hope and for sharing life that had incredible meaning.  Listen in.

Hark!  The herald angels sing…  Glory to the newborn king.

The shepherds heard “the Messiah has been born today.”  This was a special day and an important change is happening across the entire population of the world..

It all ended with God being praised.  The angels praised God.  Mary and Joseph praised God.  The shepherds praised God.  Let’s praise God and make much of Jesus this Christmas!

FINALLY....

Would you consider giving a Christmas gift to The Community Fellowship ar Dream Center?  All gifts are tax deductible, and thank you ahead of time for your generosity.  Mail your gift to PO Box 388, Collinsville, VA 24078 and choose general fund, Dream Center (homeless and feeding ministry), mission offering (annual mission offering) or Vision fund (completion of new campus).  You can also give online at https://tcf.ccbchurch.com/w_give_online.php