READ | Luke 2:13–14 — And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.”
EXPLAIN | As we celebrated the coming of the only Lord and Savior this Christmas season the song “Angels We Have Heard on High” made a wonderful reflection. The refrain repeats “Gloria in Excelsis Deo” with bold and joyful singing. Have you ever wondered how many people actually know what they are singing? Or how many people actually mean what they are saying with their lips as they worship God with this song? Do our own lips sing the truth of our heart or have we grown lukewarm? Let’s open up the Word and study the angel’s song “Gloria in Excelsis Deo.”
Maybe obvious to some, we find in our study how this refrain is a repetition of the Angels words, “Glory to God in the highest.” Perhaps some find the jump from the Latin to the English clear. Yet have we taken it to the next step and explored what we are singing?
First, we learn from these words how important this birth announcement is. Initially, only one “angel of the Lord” appeared to the shepherds to make the birth announcement of God’s Son (Luke 2:9). However, the final declaration in this heavenly moment of praise to God, only one angel is found insufficient of God’s worth. Instead “there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God.” (Lk 2:13) Such action of glorifying God is a central aim for the angels (Heb 1:6; Rev 4:8) and for men (Isa 43:7). Even as the angels serve man, it is to the ultimate result of God’s glory (Rev 22:8-9). Here, at the birth of God’s own Son in flesh, one angel’s announcement is enough to explain the details, but not enough for proclaiming the glory of the Lord. For that act a multitude is needed. Why? Because no matter how many, or how much of creation gives God glory, He is always worthy of so much more. For this reason, I wonder if heaven itself was not completely emptied of all angels for the moment of the great declaration “Gloria in excelsis Deo!”
Second, from the Latin “excelsis,” or English “highest,” we learn the rightful place of God and His Son as the highest place of all. Angels need not specify the God they glorify with this title, but they do as “God in the highest.” Why? Because it brings Him even greater glory. The original word for highest is hypsistois, and it has several hints of meaning. When it is used of God, it means exalted, transcendent, and above all else. Yet when it is used of man, hypsistois means pride and arrogance. Why? Because humanity is not the highest, and for us to lift ourselves up by thinking highly of ourselves is to place ourselves higher then we ought to in our thoughts (Rom 12:3). Therefore, as men, we are commanded to continuous humility and it is only from that position that God will ever lift us up (Phil 2:3–9; Ja 4:6, 10; 1 Pt 5:5, 6). Yet for God, it is always right for us and all of creation to lift Him up, for He alone belongs in the highest position of authority, honor, praise, worship, renown and exaltation.
Third we learn how great the humiliation of Jesus was. He came from the highest place of “God in the highest,” to the lowest place of man on the earth. The unnumbered angel’s announcement of “Glory to God in the highest” just taught us of God’s exalted place in both position and location. Further, a study of scripture teaches us how the Lord Yahweh is referred to as “Most High” 96 times in the Old Covenant and 18 in the New. The use of this statement of transcendent greatness comes out in a modern usage of a royal title of “your highness.” Think of someone bowing before a king and saying “Your highness.” This ought to be our continuous attitude to Jesus as our Lord, and the Father who sits enthroned in heaven.
Yahweh alone is to be lifted up. And He is to be lifted to the highest place of authority and worth in our lives. Not only because of His character of greatness, but because of the character of His heavenly home. His “highness” speaks of the fact that God is the absolute greatest, greater than all things in every way. He is the most honorable. The most wonderful. The most powerful. The most worthy of all our life and praise.
So, when the angels proclaim at the birth of Yahweh in flesh, “Glory to God in the highest” we can see the greatest distance crossed by Jesus as our Savior. In one moment, He was seated in the highest heaven with the most high person of the Godhead, the Father. The next He came down to earth and was born in barn with the smell of animal manure and straw. On that first Christmas night, the only praise His Highness received was from a handful of lowly shepherds. Jesus went from the glory and praise of the King who rules all Creation, to the form of a helpless baby kept warm by swaddling cloths and in the care of a poor Jewish carpenter. In this act stepping down of Jesus we find the absolute greatest humiliation possible. God in Flesh came from the highest position in heaven, came with the highest worth of greatness, to be born in the lowest position on earth. In an obscure barn. To an obscure couple. Without any pomp and greatness other than that which the multitude of angels proclaimed to the shepherds.
The lesson we learn of Jesus humiliation is found in what resulted. Such unmeasurable humiliation actually brought “Gloria in Excelsis Deo.” In other words, while it is true if Jesus came in a way worthy of the highness of his position and person it would have been unimaginable glory to Him. Yet, since He gave up all of the splendor of the highest heaven, such an unmeasurable willing sacrifice, actually gives even greater glory to God then if Jesus received the treatment His highness deserved. That is to say, the greater the humiliation, the greater the exaltation and glory to God. For it is only the Living God in the highest who would show His great love and excellence by humblimg himself.
APPLICATION | Let us join the angels and glorify God in response to the greatness of our Lord and Saviors humility. Let us glorify God by following Jesus example, and humbling ourselves continually. Willingly enduring suffering, hardship, wrong treatment, injustice and less than what we might think we deserve so that God will be glorified in all of our life. Especially in our own humiliation.
PRAYER | Father, I give you praise and glory for the greatness of the sacrifice of Your Son. Jesus willingness to lay aside His divine glory and be born as a humble man, His willingness to sacrifice His life in shame and ill-treatment when He deserved only the greatest praise, moves me to humble myself as I follow His ways. Lord I confess, pride is the sinful way of this world, the wide path that leads to destruction. So, let me walk the path that goes against the norm. Let me live on the narrow and ancient path of humility. Move my heart to live in humility in such a way that all of my life sings “Gloria in excelsis deo.” Not just for Christmas alone, but every day. For You and Your glory alone, always! Amen.
FOR FURTHER REFLECTION READ:
Philippians 2:3–11 Doing nothing from selfish ambition or vain glory, but with humility of mind regarding one another as more important than yourselves, 4 not merely looking out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. 5 Have this way of thinking in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, although existing in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied Himself, by taking the form of a slave, by being made in the likeness of men. 8 Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore, God also highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and that EVERY TONGUE WILL CONFESS that Jesus Christ is LORD, to the glory of God the Father.
