“And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.” (Luke 2:9-12 KJV)
Songwriter Charles Wesley lived in a time when the general populace was more like Scrooge than Tiny Tim. People weren’t particularly interested in Christmas or the child born on that day. The Puritans were actually against the idea of Christmas as a holiday. They believed Christmas should be treated like any other day of the year.
Charles Wesley, however, was blessed with a gift of hearing God’s message. He wrote over 6500 hymns expressing the various aspects of God’s message. One of those hymns was one Wesley called, “A Hymn for Christmas Day.” Like many of his hymns, this one might have gotten lost, but a musician by the name of William H. Cummings noticed that Wesley’s song seemed to fit the music of Felix Mendelssohn. Cummings matched Mendelssohn’s music with Wesley’s words and called the world’s attention to Christmas with “Hark, The Herald Angels Sing.”
One of the most beautiful of Christmas carols, Hark, the Herald Angels Sing reminds us to listen — be attentive — to the message of the angels who announced the birth of Christ to the shepherds in the fields outside of Bethlehem. When we give attention to their song, it is easy to join them in singing, “glory to God in the highest and on earth peace, good will toward all” (Luke 2:14).
The Christmas season is a time of reminding the world of God’s love and hope. It is important time to listen closely because the worldly noise going on around makes it difficult to hear his message. If we don’t listen carefully, we will miss the most important message ever given to anyone.
Dear Father, thank you for sending the angels to announce our Lord’s birth. Remind us once again that Christmas is your message of love and hope to all people everywhere. Enable us to respond in faith and praise. This I pray in the name of Jesus. AMEN
Be courageous today by receiving God’s gift of love and hope,