Good morning. Throughout this week I have focused our thoughts for the day on Luke 2. Today, December 24th, Christmas Eve, I would like to share one more thought with you from Luke 2. It is about the angel, and the heavenly host that joined that first angel.
And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear.And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.”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 among those with whom he is pleased!”
It began with a message from a single angel. The angel told them not to fear, and then shared the wonderful news of the Messiah’s birth.
After that single angel had finished relating the message God wanted those shepherds to hear, we traditionally say that this angel was joined by a large number of angels, all of them giving God their praise. That isn’t quite what the scripture says. The Word tells us: And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God…
It was a multitude, a number too great to count. But it doesn’t say that the first angel was joined by a great group of other angels, it says that angel was joined by: a multitude of the heavenly host.
Please consider this: All of creation has groaned under the weight of sin (Romans 8:22). All of creation would include the heavenly realm. The rebellion of heaven, led by that arch-angel Satan, left its mark, and the ongoing sin of mankind added constantly to the sorrow. Sin was a hammer striking the righteous kingdom of God with blow after blow. Until the fullness of time had been reached (Galatians 4:4-7). When the time was right, God answered. When the time was right, God sent His Son to defeat sin and to restore righteousness.
On that dark night in Bethlehem, God’s Son was born, and all of Heaven rejoiced! The angels, yes. But they were joined by every other creature of heaven. The Book of Revelation shares some of their details, enough for us to know that the heavenly realm is the home of more than angels. And on this night, at the time of His birth, heaven’s joy could not be contained. It exploded! The multitude of the heavenly host may well have included angels, Cherubin and Seraphin, and many other heavenly beings. The joy of heaven spilled over into the night sky.
Let your joy this day join theirs. Rejoice for the coming of our Christ, God’s answer to sin.
Vern