Christmas Journey: Glory to God in the Highest

"And suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel, praising God and saying: Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” Luke 2:13-14

On this Christmas morning, close your eyes and imagine the scene. In a little town called Bethlehem, inside a cave on a hillside, a little boy is born today. The shepherds are out and about with their sheep, completely clueless as to the magnitude of the event taking place just a few feet from where they are. And all of a sudden, they hear music, the sky turns on with lights and they are surrounded by a host of angels singing. They were terrified but the main angel talks to them: "Do not be afraid; for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Messiah and Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger" (Luke 2:10-12).

The shepherds waste no time and they go in search of the baby, their savior, their Messiah, their Lord. They find him just like the angels said, "wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger." His young mom is in awe at all the commotion her little boy is causing. The shepherds kneel in front of baby Jesus and they adore him. And the angels continue singing His praises.

This little boy came into the world to turn it upside down. He came to transform the world and He comes every year on Christmas to transform our lives. But many times we get so caught up on the outer preparations (the decorations, the gifts, the food, the parties...) that we forget to prepare our hearts for His birth. We need to surrender our hearts to Him so that we can be transformed by His birth, just like the shepherds were transformed. 

Twenty-one years ago, my third child was born on Christmas Eve. I remember the joy that I felt that night, alone in the hospital, while the rest of the family was celebrating and eating the pork with all the trimmings. God had given me the greatest gift, a miracle that has brought me incredible joy. I remember holding him, looking into his chubby little face and thinking, this is what Mama Mary must have felt like 2,000 years before me. She must have loved him unconditionally from that first moment and she must have promised him to do everything in her power to take care of him.

Today, Mama Mary is giving us a gift. She is giving us her biggest treasure. She is handing baby Jesus to us. We are supposed to love him and give him a place within the confines of our hearts. Will we make room in our hearts for him? Or will we be like the innkeeper that had no room at the inn for him?

This baby brings us hope that no matter what is going on in our lives, we can feel joy. No matter what difficulty we are dealing with, this baby promises to make it better. We just need to concentrate on our blessings instead of constantly counting our heartaches.

We may receive many gifts this Christmas, but none can compare to the gift that Mama Mary is giving us. He is the reason why we celebrate today in the first place. Just like the shepherds did not allow their vision of the angels to obscure the birth of baby Jesus, let us not allow the many gifts under our Christmas trees to hide the manger scene.

May your Christmas be filled with His love, may you be visited by angels and may the birth of baby Jesus be the central focus of your life.

GLORY TO GOD IN THE HIGHEST!!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!