Sunday 18th December 2022
Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host
appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
‘Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace to those on whom his favour rests.’
Luke 2:13-14 (NIV)
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Do you have a favourite Christmas carol? If so, what is it? I tend to think that my favourite is the last one I’ve heard or sung (with some exceptions!). Even if it’s difficult to choose, it’s a useful question to ask as it helps us to think about what we’re singing and why it is good (or less good).
I was having this kind of conversation with a friend this week, and the carol that leapt to mind was While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks by Night. I’ve always loved this carol – I think partly because it tells the story of what happened that first Christmas night with such clarity and simplicity.
That morning I had listened to a recording of the choir of King’s College, Cambridge, and was especially struck by the final verse when all the choir burst into song together, in full harmony, with a beautiful descant, at great volume, with all the instruments, singing:
“All glory be to God on high
And on the earth be peace;
Goodwill henceforth from heaven to men
Begin and never cease.”
It was truly the sound of “a shining throng of angels praising God.” It was like hearing heaven sing, and being invited to join with them in their song. I think that is the function of many songs in the Bible. We hear the songs of heaven, which we may have forgotten or never heard, and we are invited to sing them – afresh or again or with deeper fervour – because they show us the way things are.
Lord, thank you for letting us hear the songs of heaven; help us to sing them with deeper understanding, faith and fervour. Amen.
Yours warmly, in Christ,
Chris Hobbs (Senior Minister)