THE ANGELS SANG

Daily Scripture Readings

Monday           Isaiah 7:10-17

Tuesday         Isaiah 7:18-25

Wednesday   Isaiah 9:1

Thursday       Isaiah 9:2-7

Friday            Isaiah 9:8-21

Saturday        Matthew 1:18-20

Opening Prayer

Gracious God, as we continue the season of Advent, as we hear the songs the angels sang, open our hearts to worship you.   In Jesus’ name, Amen

Reading:

If you haven’t heard the music, it may be because you’re not listening.  What music?  The song first sung over the fields of Bethlehem as angels sang, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests” (Luke 2:14).  The traditional French carol put it, “Angels we have heard on high/ Sweetly singing o’er the plains:/ And the mountains in reply, Echoing their joyous strains. / Gloria in excelsis Deo! Gloria in excelsis Deo.”

Who would have thought about a choir of angels on that dark night long ago?  Life had gone on day after day, year after year, decade after decade, and then, suddenly, catching us unaware, the sky lit up with a heavenly light and angels appeared.  Not a few either, “a great company” of them, says Luke.

If you haven’t heard the music, it may be because the song has been drowned out by a cacophony of competing songs such as “Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer” and “The Twelve Days of Christmas.”   It isn’t easy to catch the tune, I mean the original one which started the whole business of Christmas.

When I hear a song for the first time, I usually hum the tune to myself and get it fixed in my mind.  If the music is written, I sight-read the melody and get a feel for what it sounds like.  Do the same with the Bethlehem melody. If you haven’t heard the music, it’s likely that you haven’t been listening.  Heads up. And, listen! You can still hear the music.  It’s a symphony of joy. One we desperately need today!

Harold Salis