The Carols of the King - Pt 2

And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” 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 2:8-14 ESV).

The carol I’ve chosen today is one which is very familiar. It is the French noel tune associated with “Angels We Have Heard On High.” You may wish to listen to the BYU Chorale as they sing it. The address may be found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URZ3BUowc3Y. The popularity of this carol stems from its refrain. It has all those cascading phrases in which we attempt to imitate the angels' chorus that we see in our reading today. It is completely anonymous. It has always been printed with no known lyricist or composer. The beautiful carol tells the story of Christ's birth, when the angel choir told the good news to nearby shepherds. The chorus, "Gloria in Excelsis Deo," reflects the chorus of the angel choir that long-ago Christmas night. Many years ago shepherds in the hills of southern France had a Christmas Eve custom of calling to one another, singing "Gloria in Excelsis Deo," each from his own hillside. The traditional tune that the shepherds used may have been from a late Medieval Latin chorale. It became the magnificent chorus of "Angels We Have Heard on High." The night Jesus was born was the most monumental and awe-inspiring event that has ever occurred in human history. God became a man and came to earth so that we could have eternal life. There has not been an event in history before or after Christ’s birth that resulted in such celebration that the angels themselves made their physical presence known and their voices heard in song. It is a moment so majestic that we probably cannot fully comprehend what it was like simply because none of us have encountered such a sight. It seems we tend to have fewer experiences these days of awe. Technology has brought so much of the world to our fingertips that we feel uninspired. Unfortunately, most of us probably have fewer awe-inspiring moments with God than we should. Our relationship with Him often becomes too comfortable and even ordinary. Don’t let your relationship with Him be ordinary, but rather make it extraordinary.