The beautiful familiar story seems unique when we’re suffering. Those shepherds must have been cold. Lonely. Maybe they were tired of caregiving. Sick of beating down wolves. Weary of trying to find greener pastures and water, keeping the wandering ones safe, the sick ones sheltered and alive.
And who got to hear the “happy birthday song” first?
“As we watched at dead of night,
lo, we saw a wondrous light;
angels singing, ‘Peace on earth,’
told us of the Savior’s birth.”
(“See, amid the winter’s snow,” Caswall, E., 1858)
Father, this week, this glorious-hard Christmas as I suffer in brain surgery recovery, I join the shepherds who excitedly had to go see Jesus. I join them in following my Good Shepherd and falling before Him in worship. Why?
Because I’m suffering in this fallen world of sin today, just as the shepherds were in that first Christmas celebration.
But You came to bring peace on earth…peace with You, now and forever, Your compassionate mercy to Your people, in and through Jesus Christ.
Happy birthday, Jesus!
The angels’ “happy birthday” song of the gospel!
Just as sin came into the world through one man (Adam), and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned (Rom. 5:12 ESV, explanation added)…
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23 ESV)…
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son,
that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God (Jn. 3:16-18 ESV).
“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” (Lk. 2:14 ESV)
Hark! the herald angels sing,
“Glory to the newborn King:
peace on earth, and mercy mild,
God and sinners reconciled!”
(“Hark! The herald angels sing,” Wesley, C., 1739)
If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord
and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead,
you will be saved.
For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved (Rom. 10:9-10 ESV).
Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ (Rom. 5:1 ESV)!
You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions (sin). Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result, he has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault (Col. 1:21-22 NLT, explanation added)!
For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life (Rom. 5:10 ESV).
He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit (Titus 3:5 ESV).
A happy birthday song of glory to my King Jesus
I imagine the angel chorus. I glory with joy, amidst the pain and tears of grief and loss on this hard day. For the “happy birthday song” all points to me to Your triumph over death and sin.
You are not a helpless infant anymore. You humbled Yourself, the always-existent and glorious God the Son, Word made flesh (John 1), “like a son of man,” yet the One who created all things. Baby Jesus, today I can sing with angels because You are King, the One promised in the Old Testament.
“I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed (Dan. 7:13-14 ESV).
The “happy birthday song” points me to Your glorious reign and resurrected power, with hope in the day we all will see You as You are. For You are the One for Whom we now wait to return.
And then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory (Mk. 13:26 ESV).
Today’s birthday song points me to the last appointed day of this current earth, when You again come, except next time to judge all sin, all evil, all things unholy, all people who cannot be in the presence of Your Father because they are still condemned in their sin. Not for those who have peace with God in Jesus Christ, Your saved people.
There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Rom. 8:1 ESV).
Oh glorious King, on the day when You restore all things to sinless perfection, I am in awe that I am even now part of Your glorious kingdom, my King and my Lord.
They will make war on the Lamb, and the Lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those with him are called and chosen and faithful (Rev. 17:14 ESV).
On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords (Rev. 19:16 ESV).
Joyful, all ye nations, rise,
join the triumph of the skies;
with the angelic hosts proclaim,
“Christ is born in Bethlehem!”
The “happy birthday song” is glory to You, my King of kings and Lord of lords!
My “happy birthday song” is joy in Your love to the world!
There is reserved for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on that day, and not only to me, but to all those who have loved his appearing (2 Tim. 4:8 CSB).
Father, please encourage and rescue any of Your dear suffering ones who read this today. Help them to know, beyond any doubt, that they are indeed Yours. Do they look forward to seeing Jesus on that day He returns to judge sin? Do they love Him? Do they want to live with Him? Are they reconciled with You? Do they have peace with You?
Perhaps this Christmas day is the day of some readers’ real birth-day, the one when You make them Your children in Christ, now and forever, giving them peace with You. This would be the happiest and most joy-filled day of their life on earth, even though they’re suffering, because You’ve given them the greatest gift they could ever simply receive and embrace. As they suffer, bring them to Yourself, to be able to sing along with me to Jesus as King, as Lord, as Savior. So beloved, so very perfectly loved and fully forgiven of every sin now and forever, because You gave and they believed.
Joy to the world! The Lord is come:
let earth receive her King;
let every heart prepare him room,
and heav’n and nature sing,
and heav’n and nature sing,
and heav’n, and heav’n and nature sing.
Joy to the earth! The Savior reigns:
let men their songs employ;
while fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains
repeat the sounding joy,
repeat the sounding joy,
repeat, repeat the sounding joy.
No more let sins and sorrows grow,
nor thorns infest the ground;
he comes to make his blessings flow
far as the curse is found,
far as the curse is found,
far as, far as the curse is found.
He rules the world with truth and grace,
and makes the nations prove
the glories of his righteousness
and wonders of his love,
and wonders of his love,
and wonders, wonders of his love.
(“Joy to the world,” Watts, I., 1719)
In the name of love incarnate, Jesus Christ, amen and amen.
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