Joy is Here
“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!” Luke 2:13-14 ESV
The angels sang out with joy the Almighty God had stretched out his arms of grace to all who would receive Him. It is a brilliant, mysterious, mind-blown because it is hard-to-even imagine miracle. This miracle which began long before Mary accepted the announcement of the angel; It began long before the prophets prophesied it, this miracle started with God. It began when God saw that we in Adam and Eve had rebelled against his goodwill. This story came into the mind of God in eternity, a way to redeem us.
The beautiful Eden God had created was broken and in pain – the result of our rebellion. You can see the effects of the brokenness all around – in the violence, death, corruption, injustice, and disaster around us.
God saw our pain and deathly sickness and in response devised a rescue plan. He would offer the only thing that would ever address the need and solve the problem. He offered Himself, the greatest and costliest gift. He took human flesh and moved into our trashy sin infested neighborhood. The King of all would humble himself to live a life we could never have lived and died the death we deserve; he would live again conquering death so that we can live Eden again with him.
The implications of the birth of Jesus does not only transform our terrestrial stay but also eternal in their extent. This is the story of Jesus, a baby born in Bethlehem. The angels sang of it, come let us join their song because joy is here.
xo,
Shalom