East Baptist Church – Denison, TX

A Multitude of Heavenly Host Praising God? 

Luke 2:8-20

Over the last few weeks, we have been looking at a Christmas series entitled “The CD of Christmas Songs In the Bible from Luke.”  Aside from Elizabeth’s song there are four songs in the New Testament associated with the birth of Christ.( All in the N.T. Book of Luke the first two chapters) There is Mary’s Song in Luke 1:46-55, Zechariah’s Song in Luke 1:67-69, The Angel’s Song, in Luke 2:13-14, and Simeon’s Song in Luke 2:28-35. We are playing our CD’s each of the next few Sundays leading up to Christmas. This Lord’s Day we will look at “A Multitude of Heavenly Host Praising God”.

Every single question and concern, every worry and every single struggle we have in life are covered by the grace and love of our Savior who died in our place on the cross. His incarnate birth is the answer to everything we have ever hoped for…and his death and resurrection has conquered everything we have ever feared.

It always brings me to the throne room of God when I read the words of the Messengers of God (Angles) announcing the Creator born as a creature, the Word coming as a speechless baby. The best response from our hearts is wonder and worship. ”Great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh” (1 Tim. 3:16). 

Let this wow factor saturate your spirit two weeks before Christmas.  Think of what is happening and the normal folk just like you and me are the first to know: God’s glory had dwelt in the tabernacle and in the temple but had departed because of the nation’s sin. Now God’s glory was returning to earth in the person of His Son. (After 400 years) That lowly manger was a Holy of Holies because God’s presence was there in the form of the Baby Jesus, Yahweh was there!

In the N.T times our faith moves us to have an active personal encounter with our God Creator in the incarnation of the The Christ. Luke 2:15-20 (NASB77) ¹⁵And it came about when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds began saying to one another, “Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us.” ¹⁶And they came in haste and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger. ¹⁷And when they had seen this, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child. ¹⁸And all who heard it wondered at the things which were told them by the shepherds. ¹⁹But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. ²⁰And the shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told.

Don’t miss a simple but powerful phrase in verse 17. “And when they had seen this” the Bible says the Shepherds ”found Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger.” Because they believed, because they searched, because they obeyed…they were able to see.  That is truly what Christmas is all about seeing through the eyes of faith. 

This song-poem and the event around the words should move us to be reminded of not only God’s coming as a Baby, but His love in action on the cross and what it cost. The cradle is just the start of the story; it will not end until the Second Coming of the very same Christ. The Bible speaks more on the Second Coming than the First Coming.