Be An Angel

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!

Luke 2:14

By the fourth century AD, a psalm was in use in Christian churches, and it is still in use today, called Gloria in Excelsis Deo. Its title comes from the Latin Bible’s translation of the words proclaimed by the angels as they announced the birth of Jesus to the shepherds: “Glory to God in the highest . . . we praise thee, we bless thee, we worship thee, we glorify thee, we give thanks to thee for thy great glory.”

If angels do anything, they worship God. In Scripture, we find them doing many things on earth—delivering messages, guarding and coming to the aid of the saints, doing battle. But in the heavenly places, the heavenly host seems to have one primary agenda—to proclaim the glory of God forever and ever.

It is not surprising that at the birth of Jesus, the glory of God was the first thing on the angels’ lips. They were not unaware, after all, of the cosmic struggle going on between Satan and man. When the Father’s own Son was dispatched to earth to defeat the enemy, angels accompanied the announcement by proclaiming God’s glory. Is His glory and praise the first thing on our lips this Christmas season?

Imitate the angels this Christmas by declaring the glory of God to someone who has not beheld it.