After the angels had delivered the good news of Jesus’s birth to the shepherds, the Bible records that they were joined by a multitude of the heavenly host. They began to praise God and said the words captured in our passage today. Notice two things – that the song has a God component and a man component. The God component comes first, and  only then does the man component come (this order is crucial). Thus, the heavenly host, together with the angels, proclaimed, “Glory to God in the highest…” That the highly exalted God would receive glory. As someone has said, “God’s glory is His holiness revealed”. And holiness speaks about more than just the moral perfection of God. It speaks of His utter uniqueness in every way. The birth of Jesus was a showcase of God’s glory. For which other God can do what God did during the first Christmas?

It is the revelation of God’s glory that then leads to the second part – peace upon all men here on earth. Without God and His attributes brightly shining in the world, we cannot know true peace. True peace is a product of experiencing God’s glory. Therefore, this Christmas, we must seek for the glory of God to be revealed if we are to enjoy any meaningful peace in our homes and among our family members. Most importantly, we must be reminded of the wonder of Christmas and join together with the angelic host in praising God.

1. Whay is your understanding of the declaration of the heavenly host, “Glory to God in the highest”?

2. In what ways will you seek the glory of God this Christmas?