Hark! Angles Say

advent

Imagine this scene (with Charles Wesley’s attention to detail)–

Shepherds abide in the fields, keeping watch over their flocks by night. The sky explodes with ten thousand flashes of lightning.

 
          Angels speak in the north sky:
                                            For to us a child is born.
          Thousands in the south respond:
                                                 To us a son is given.
          From the east:
                          And the government shall be on his shoulders.
          And the west:
                                               And he will be called . . .

Ten thousand voices echo across the sky, saying:

Wonderful Counselor

Mighty God               Everlasting Father

Prince of Peace

Yep, if I were a shepherd, I’d be sore afraid.bless-astounded

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Hark! Angels Sing

advent

 

I imagine shepherds on the hillside, watching their flocks by night. Someone is playing a simple wooden flute, a quiet melody floating over men and sheep–gray shadows caught in a flicker of firelight.

 

BOOM! The skies open with a crack of thunder and an explosion of light. The angels split the sky with a perfect performance of Handel’s Messiah!

Beats the food court flash mob’s Hallelujah Chorus all hollow. Listen here to the flash mob, think shepherds at night.bless soul pic

 

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Hark! How All the Welkin Rings

advent

 

 

Welkin?

 

According to Websters, welkin is “the vault of the sky, firmament,” or “celestial abode of God.” And when Charles Wesley penned the words of a now familiar carol, he wrote, Hark! How all the welkin rings, Glory to the King of kings.

Wesley’s colleague, George Whitefield, tweaked the first line and published the song. Wesley was furious—his carefully crafted verse was no longer biblically accurate.

Luke 2:13-14 (NIV)
Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God…”

Saying, not singing.

Heavens rang. Absolutely. Angels sang. Maybe not.bless song

 

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Peaceful Night, Holy Night

advent

 

 

Sleep in heavenly peace.

 

Peace isn’t the absence of noise.

Peace is the presence of God.

John 14:27 (ESV)
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.
Not as the world gives do I give to you.
Let not your hearts be troubled.bless-peace-filled

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Silent Night, Sleepy Night

advent

 

 

Sleep in heavenly peace.

 

Hush. Jesus is sleeping. For the first time. Ever.

Psalm 121:4 (NLT)
Indeed, he who watches over Israel
never slumbers or sleeps.bless soul pic

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Wild, Silent Night

advent

 

All is calm. 

Seriously?

Joseph, looking for a place–any place!–to shelter his laboring wife. And then . . .

. . . a woman birthing a baby. In a barn.

Need I say more?bless soul pic

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Holy Night, Indeed!

advent

 

Continuing our meditation on “Silent Night”–

Silent, holy night?

 

Consider John’s view of holy:

Revelation 4:5,8 (CEV)
Flashes of lightning and roars of thunder came out from the throne in the center of the circle. . . Day and night they never stopped singing, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord.”

I’m guessing that heaven was far from silent at the birth of the holy infant.holy-celebration

 

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Not-So-Silent Night

advent

 

It’s Advent. A season of preparation. A season of meditation. A season of serious thought.

 

 

I’m continuing with the theme of carols–those seasonal songs that play in the background everywhere. Words that float below our consciousness. My goal is to make you think about the words. To meditate. Seriously.

This week’s carol is that old favorite, Silent Night. Don’t get me wrong–I truly like this one. But, really!

Silent night? 

With Bethlehem filled to over-flowing, a woman in labor and that sky-bursting angelic host? I don’t think so.

God and noise. Perfect together.bless thoughtful

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O Come

o_come

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God with Us

Rock solid

 

“It would be out of character for the Father
  to call you to do something
  then not help you accomplish it.
  He always gets involved.”
Dr. Charles Stanley

God involved, God with us, Emmanuel. bless soul pic

 

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