And suddenly, there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. Luke 2:13,14
I stood among a crowd of workers in a fabrication yard of Saint John Shipbuilding one day as the local Member of Parliament and member of the federal cabinet, Gerry Merrithew, stood on the bed of a truck and addressed the crowd. He was there to announce that the shipyard was to build several frigates for the Canadian navy. With each ship that Gerry announced, the workers burst into an enthusiastic cheer. When he had finished, the crowd burst into applause that lasted for several minutes before allowing Gerry to finish his speech. His announcement was wonderful news for those workers, and for the entire city, because work on those ships provided a huge amount of employment and a tremendous boost to the economy. No one who was at that shipyard announcement that day could ever forget the cheer that arose from those workers. But it could never match the great burst of praise that came from the angels at the announcement of the birth of Jesus Christ.
No announcement of earth has ever had the same impact as the one described in Luke 2. Great announcements of earth come and go, and their impact is eventually forgotten. For example, the frigate contract at Saint John Shipbuilding was eventually finished, and now the shipyard itself is gone. But the impact of the angel’s announcement to the Bethlehem shepherds continues to reverberate through time these two thousand years later, and will persist throughout eternity. Today, we don’t need to wait until the Christmas season to rejoice over the birth of Christ. Every time we consider this great event, we must praise God, just as the angels did that night near Bethlehem. We know why this event was so important for us. But why was it important for the angels.
Let us consider the nature of the angels. They are created beings, like us, although they are of a higher rank than we poor mortals. They exist to praise and serve God, and their knowledge and appreciation of God is far higher than ours, because they know Him so well. But angels, who are holy beings incapable of sinning, have never experienced the redemption that God offers mankind through the sacrifice of His Son. And yet, when it came time for the Lord Jesus to take up residence on the earth among mankind, the angels took notice. To a certain extent, they would understand the purpose of His coming. They would behold firsthand the proof of the love of God, and be amazed at its magnitude. This was wonderful to them. They would also rejoice that some of earth would accept the Saviour, would benefit from His arrival among humanity. To the angels, anything that would bring glory to God would be worth celebrating. And celebrate they did.
Do we celebrate today the birth of Jesus Christ in Bethlehem, as the angels are doing? We should acknowledge not only the value of that birth to us, but the measure in which it brings glory to God. -Jim MacIntosh