Glory to God in the Highest. The song of the angels announcing the arrival of the Christ Child has become the Church's song.
Feb 24, 20224 Shares192 Views
It's tough to imagine what it would be like to go through what these shepherds went through in their lives. What is the approximate number of angels that make up a multitude? A remarkable honor was bestowed upon the shepherds when they were among the first to receive the good news of great joy about Jesus, the Savior of the world.
When the multitude of the heavenly army sung, "Gloryto God in the highest heaven...", they effectively expressed the purpose for which God created the universe in the first place. The Westminster Confession of Faith states succinctly, "The main goal of man is to glorify God and enjoy him eternally." When we see the world in this light, everything falls into its correct perspective. Christ was born in order to bring glory to God. Christ died in order to bring glory to God. Christ rescues us in order to bring God glory.
Humanity can only experience true peace in the world if God is honored through man's willing worship and obedience. True and permanent peace can only be found in the experience of God's favor in saving us for himself, reconciling us to himself and to one another through the sacrifice of his loving Son on the cross.
"Gloria in Excelsis Deo," which translates as "Glory to God in the highest," is a Christian hymn that is also known as the Greater Doxology (as opposed to the "Minor Doxology" or Gloria Patri) and the Angelic Hymn[/Hymn of the Angels. Gloria in Excelsis is a common abbreviation for the name, as is Gloria or just Gloria.
The song opens with the words that the angels sang as they announced the birth of Christ to the shepherds in Luke 2:14 (which is the basis for the hymn) (in Latin). Other verses were added fairly early on, resulting in the formation of a doxology.
A passage from the Gospel of Luke that says, "Glory to God in the highest" may be found here. We know that Luke was a physician and that he was a gentile because of Paul's writings. In the manner in which he penned his gospel story, he reflected on the meticulous and precise documentation of the events he had experienced during his lifetime.
We hear a celestial chorus of angels singing "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor falls" throughout Luke's narrative of the night of Christ's birth. Shepherds on the night guard were serenaded by an army of angels. That God picked a specific audience is essential, and it is something that Luke surely kept near to his Gentile heart. Shepherds on night shifts were the most despised of all the classes of humanity, and they were the ideal representation of what Jesus came to do. Angels are singing to poor, undeserving shepherds in this place of worship.
"The Glory of God," according to John Piper, "is the manifestation of his greatness, his beauty, and his value." In the book of Isaiah, angels proclaim, "Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD of hosts, and the entire world is filled with His splendor.(See Isaiah 6:3 for more information.) The Hebrew word for glory also has the connotations of dignity and plenty. Jesus was the most perfect representation of God's love for us, and he was the crowning achievement of God's splendor.
In the words of Luke at the end of the passage, "those with whom he is delighted" alludes to our relationship with His Son. And this is what God has to say about His Son: "This is my beloved Son, in whom I take pleasure." The Bible says (Matt 3:17)
Not only did Luke want to authenticate historical facts and provide confirmation of Jesus' existence, but he also hoped that his thorough story would help us come closer to Jesus as a man and the Savior that He is.
Glory to God in the highest
And peace to His people on earth
Lord God, Heavenly King, Almighty God and Father
We worship You
We give You thanks
We praise You for Your glory
Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father
Lord God, Lamb of God
You take away the sins of the world
Lord, have mercy on us
You are seated at the right hand of the Father
Receive our prayer
For You alone are the Holy One
For You alone are the Lord
For You alone are the Most High
Jesus Christ
With the Holy Spirit
In the glory of God the Father