Glory to the Newborn King
It's almost Christmas, so let's listen to one of the great Christmas carols written by Charles Wesley in the 1700s. Sing along!
Hark, the herald angels sing
"Glory to the King of Kings,
"Peace on Earth, and Mercy mild,
"God and Sinners reconciled!
Great words. In fact, Bill Meaker once said that this is the greatest Christmas song ever written, and I think he's right.
Do you know what the word hark means? Neither did I! It means listen or pay attention. So let me ask you, are you listening this Christmas? Are you paying attention to what the angels are singing?
Listen Carefully
Here's the thing: If you don't pay attention to what the angels are singing, you're going to get all swept up in the cultural Christmas around us, which is all about presents, overspending, overeating, all of that stuff. You're going to miss the fact that the angels are singing glory. Glory to the newborn King.
We read it in Luke 2:13 "Suddenly a great company of the heavenly hosts appeared with the Angel, praising God and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to those on whom His favour rests.'"
Glory to God is the cry of Christmas! And as I said, if you don't hark, if you don't listen and pay attention, that message isn't going to come through, which will be a tragedy because it is the message of Christmas.
True Meaning
Christmas is all about God and sinners being reconciled, as the song said - mercy mild flowing into our hearts to bring us peace. That's what Jesus came to do. That's why He was born. So we think about His birth and, with the heavens, with the angels, we sing.
And so, friends, listen to the right voices this Christmas and then sing glory to the newborn King. Because He is the reason for it all.
