Luke’s Gospel records the first songs of Christmas which are called the Canticles of Christmas. A canticle is a song in the bible that is not a psalm. Luke records four songs that present a powerful pathway into the beauty of the Christmas story. The songs are poetic stories belonging to Mary who was the mother of Jesus, Zechariah who was a temple priest and the husband of her cousin Elizabeth, Angels who announced the birth of Jesus first to the shepherds in prayerful song, and Simeon who was a righteous and devout man of God who met Mary and Joseph with Jesus in the temple. You may want to read Luke 1:5-2:40 for a view of the whole within which these pieces fit. We celebrate the Angels on Christmas Eve and end with the prophecies of Simeon and Anna during the Christmas week.
On Christmas Eve we celebrate with joy the birth of Christ as we explore the song of the Angels, found in Luke 2:8-14 and sung to the Shepherds. The Canticle of the Angels is also known as The Gloria. The Gloria is the heavenly response to the birth of Jesus who is the Messiah, praising what God has done, is doing, and will continue to do through Christ. The Gloria is very simple:
“Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace to people of good will.”
As we prepare our heart to explore our scriptural passage, if music is a pathway to God for you, you might want to listen to Pentatonix sing “Angels we have Heard on High." I’m loving this arrangement from Pentatonix who are an American a cappella group from Arlington, Texas: LINK
In the arc of our Advent/Christmas story, Angels play a critical role in Luke's story. They have appeared to Mary, Joseph (Matthew'story), Zechariah, and in this passage, to the Shepherds. In each of these stories and in many places in scripture, the visited ones respond with terror leading the visiting Angel to proclaim, “do not be afraid” before sharing something quite unbelievable. I find it ironic that most of our depictions of angels are such “sweetness” when they arrive generating fear! It makes me wonder if they aren't a bit fiercer!
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| Altar of Angels by © Cindy Serio |
It’s quite amazing to me that the angels appeared to shepherds who were some of the “lowliest” of society, chosen to be the first to hear of the savior’s birth. “Lowly” is a term that was also used to refer to Mary, chosen to be the mother of God. This really follows the theme of the canticles in their context. God consistently chooses the lowly, lifts them up, and works through them. In biblical terms, lowly means humble in manner or spirit, free from self-assertive pride, ranking low in some hierarchy, relating to a low social or economic rank. As we have seen over these last 4 weeks, they can also be quite faithful to God.
When I really sink into the arc of our Christmas story from beginning to end, I find, for myself, an antidote to the cultural assumption I notice so often articulated that the rich are “blessed” and highly favored and the poor are not. Jesus was born into a poor family and a persecuted religion. I believe that gives him a unique perspective that enables him to re-interpret the scriptures in the profound way that he does. Jesus compels us to think and offers an invitation for those of us who reside in privilege to walk with him through his life experiences and to develop the same “preferential option for the poor” in the words of Father Pedro Arrupe, a Jesuit. As we read scripture carefully, we may see that the word poor is consistently used to refer to those who are materially disadvantaged. It is up to us to determine what that means for us, who our “poor” are in these days and how God invites us to engage the world on their behalf.
My sense is that both Mary and the Shepherds in the field were materially disadvantaged but rich in their faith, which is why they were chosen by God to be a part of this great story!
Take a moment to read the passage, ©NET BIBLE Luke 2:8-14, within which The Gloria is embedded:
Now there were shepherds nearby living out in the field, keeping guard over their flock at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were absolutely terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid! Listen carefully, for I proclaim to you good news that brings great joy to all the people: Today your Savior is born in the city of David. He is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign for you: You will find a baby wrapped in strips of cloth and lying in a manger.” Suddenly a vast, heavenly army appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
“Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace among people with whom he is pleased!”
You can simply say “Amen” now but if you would like to continue your journey with the angels and shepherds, I invite you to engage in the spiritual practices of Breath Prayer and/or Lectio Divina by reading the passage again. You may simply want to focus on The Gloria as I am for the breath prayer and then use the whole passage for Lectio Divina ...
Breath Prayer: Take a deep breath and gently read over this passage with a prayerful heart. As you craft your breath prayer, breath IN: what Name shall call upon God with? Breathe OUT: what is the desire of your heart inspired by the Angel’s Alleluia? 6-8 syllables is an optimal prayer for breathing your prayers but make the prayer your own in whatever way works for you. If you desire you may pray this breath prayer:
Breathing IN … Glorious God
Breath OUT … Bring Peace to Earth
Lectio Divina: Allow your breath prayer to envelop you in God’s presence as you begin to prayerfully consider the text in four movements.
1) Lectio: reading.
Slowly read the passage and immerse yourself in the beauty of the text. There may be a word, phrase or image that bubbles up into your consciousness, the words may "shimmer," calling your attention. You may use the © NET Bible translation above or open your own favorite bible (online or otherwise)
2) Meditatio: meditation.
Read the passage again, slowly. Allow your word, phrase or image to come alive and deepen in your consciousness. Don’t be afraid as you ponder: What is God saying to me through this word, phrase or image?
3) Oratio: prayer.
When it feels time to move on, read the passage again, slowly. Allow yourself to move toward God who has already moved toward you through your word, phrase or image: How shall I respond to the God who has so beautifully responded to me ... in words, in deepen emotion, conviction or another way that may be more creative?
4) Contemplatio: contemplation.
When your time of encountering the scripture feels finished, it is time to rest. Allow all of the words and images and emotions to fall away until you are immersed in Silence, the God who holds you ... for as long as you can. Make an embodied gesture to close your time of prayerful reading. Amen.
To end your time of reflection, I invite you to listen to “O Holy Night” sung by another group of a capella singers, Home Free from Mankato, MN. They are a little country but I love that they are singing in a cathedral which is perfect for contemplating Christ’s birth on Christmas Eve: LINK **I am sorry for the ad at the end!
Spiritual Practice for your Advent "waiting:" As you journey through this week, take something with you. Take time to pause, breath and allow something of God to shimmer up into your consciousness. It may be your breath prayer or it may be a word or phrase from our passage or it may be an image of angels. It may simply be an emotion that was evoked. Perhaps it is something you found somewhere else. Is there something to take with you on your journey into Christmas and beyond? Remember: What you choose or what chooses you is not really as important as who you are ... one who turns toward God with an open heart, and often, when you are doing well and when you are not doing so well, even more so when you are struggling.
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| Giovanni di Paolo [Public domain] via Wikimedia Commons |
This series is a companion to prepare for the Advent Worship/Sermon Series at Holy Covenant UMC in Katy, TX. You can live stream the sermon preached on this passage on Christmas Eve via Facebook @holycovenantkaty or listen to it on our website: https://www.hckaty.org/sermon-archive/ To end our series next week we reflect on The Canticle of Simeon found in Luke 2: 29-32.
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