“Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”
Luke 2:14 ESV
In a region near Jerusalem where the temple stood and where sacrifices were made, there was a sure market for the shepherds’ product. It’s the ordinary thing they do to earn a living. It was supposed to be just an ordinary night in the life of a shepherd; just another day in the office.
Yet the story is familiar to all of us. What was supposed to be an ordinary night turned out to be extraordinary— the most special night of all in their whole lives.
An angel of the Lord suddenly appeared with the Lord’s Shekinah— a light so bright and so blinding that no man can take it. And just like any other sinner who saw this glory in the biblical accounts, they were stricken with great fear. Any mortal sinner, just like Isaiah, would think and feel that he is doomed upon seeing such display of glory.
What a relief they must have felt when the angel assured them that they have nothing to fear. The angel came not for the purpose of bringing judgment but to proclaim good news that brings great joy: it is the birth of the Savior, the Messiah, the Lord— in the City of David.
After giving the two-fold identifying marks of the baby namely being wrapped tightly in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger, there suddenly appeared a multitude of angels. And so from one angel appearing, its now a battalion of angels! They proclaimed praise to God with words which the Latin-speaking church would later call (and sing) as the “Gloria in Excelsis Deo”.
The content of Gloria in Excelsis Deo is two-fold.
First, the incarnation is for the glory of God who resides in heaven (“in the highest”). The accomplishment of Jesus’ mission brings glory to his Father.
Second, the incarnation brings peace on earth but not in a universal sense, but only “among those with whom he is pleased!”. In the Greek text, the phrase is ἀνθρώποις εὐδοκίας which is closely related to another concept taught elsewhere in the Bible: “God’s elect” or the chosen ones.
This was certainly true in the case of these shepherds. There were many prominent people in that region, but God has chosen the lowly shepherds to be the first visitors of the newborn king.
The same truth still stands today. Out of all the billions of people celebrating Christmas, only are few are given the privilege to truly know the birthday celebrant. We get to know the birthday celebrant only by grace. And because it is only by grace, the glory belongs not to us but unto the Father who is in the highest place.
