Glory to God

God, this year as Christmas comes closer and closer, we are excited to remember and celebrate the birth of Jesus. Help everything we do to glorify your name, to join the angels and the shepherds in saying Gloria in excelsis Deo, glory to God in the highest! Bless us Holy Spirit that my words would be yours, and that our hearts, our minds, and our lives would be what you want them to be. Together we pray, amen.

An Event Worth Celebrating

This week our Advent devotions made a really cool point, they brought up a saying we love at this time of year, “Jesus is the reason for the season.” And if we think about it, Jesus didn’t need the angels to come and tell the shepherds what was going on. He didn’t need the worship of the shepherds and the angels and the wise men. He didn’t need to come into creation as a baby. He didn’t do it for Himself, He did it for us. His love for you and me is the reason He came, the reason for the season. And that reason is totally worth celebrating, it’s why we hear so frequently this time of year . . .

Gloria in excelsis Deo, glory to God in the highest, Gloria in excelsis Deo, glory to God in the highest, Gloria in excelsis Deo, glory to God in the highest.

The Faith of John

And in our reading today, we see that glorification, we see that joy in what seems like a really unlikely place. John the Baptist, still an infant in his mother’s womb, celebrates Jesus when Mary comes to visit. And that seems impossible, how could John know it was Jesus? How could John know all that Jesus would be and do? John couldn’t explain his faith, he couldn’t answer questions about theology, he couldn’t make any decisions about what he believed. But still he recognized Jesus in Mary’s womb and leaped for joy, his very being saying . . .

Gloria in excelsis Deo, glory to God in the highest, Gloria in excelsis Deo, glory to God in the highest, Gloria in excelsis Deo, glory to God in the highest.

Because the Holy Spirit worked in him, through no capability of his own. And that same Spirit works in us today! We might not be able to explain our faith, we might not be able to answer questions about theology, we might face doubts and questions and struggle with who God is and what He did, we might think to ourselves that we are not smart enough or not put together enough or not faithful enough. But we still recognize Jesus in Mary’s womb - coming for us even in our lowliness and ignorance - and react with joy, our hearts saying . . .

Gloria in excelsis Deo, glory to God in the highest, Gloria in excelsis Deo, glory to God in the highest, Gloria in excelsis Deo, glory to God in the highest.

The Joy of Mary and Elizabeth

But John wasn’t the only one celebrating in our reading today. Mary comes to visit Elizabeth with this incredible news and Elizabeth feels John’s joy. I imagine the two of them sitting down together and Mary tells Elizabeth everything that has happened with the angels and the promises of God. And Elizabeth reacts with pure joy, celebrating with her friend with no jealousy of the incredible gift that God has given to Mary. Their smiles brighten the room and the genuine joy reaches their eyes. They praise God for His blessings that He has showered down on them, for the gift that He will give the whole world through Mary.

It’s like when friends get together and share good news. They sit down in a living room or at a restaurant or in the back after church. One of the friends shares a victory from the week, maybe it’s a promotion or they got a role or they won a tournament or their kid did something exceptionally cute. Maybe luck was finally on your side, maybe your fantasy team won, maybe your sports team of choice has a playoff shot - although for many of you, I know the teams you root for, it’s not looking good. Regardless of the news, the friends rejoice and celebrate with them. They go to dinner, they pat them on the back, everyone is smiling and genuinely happy for their friend’s good news. That’s the kind of reaction we see from Elizabeth, there is no false happiness masking jealousy, there is only genuine joy for the coming gift of Jesus Christ. Genuine joy and celebration that we still revel in today, that drives our hearts and souls to proclaim . . .

Gloria in excelsis Deo, glory to God in the highest, Gloria in excelsis Deo, glory to God in the highest, Gloria in excelsis Deo, glory to God in the highest.

Glory to God

And this text, it is a text of celebration. We can force a lesson out of it to be good friends to one another like Elizabeth was for Mary, and that’s not a bad lesson but that’s not what the text is doing. The text here is calling us simply to celebrate Christ’s coming with one another. To rejoice that Jesus came into this world for you and for me, that he was born, he lived, he did miracles, he taught, he suffered, he died, and he rose again - proclaiming that he had paid the price for us. Promising us eternal life in a perfect new creation with Him. Christmas reminds us of the humble start to that incredible story, and with Elizabeth and Mary we proclaim . . .

Gloria in excelsis Deo, glory to God in the highest, Gloria in excelsis Deo, glory to God in the highest, Gloria in excelsis Deo, glory to God in the highest.

So celebrate the season. Join us for the Edgewater Christmas party tonight, bring your best Christmas dessert, rejoice with us in the gift of Christmas - the birth of Jesus. Gather with family, come to our celebration on Christmas eve, we have something worth celebrating! We have good news that fills us, that fills the whole world with hope, with peace, and with great joy! With John, with Elizabeth, with Mary, with the disciples, and with all of creation we recognize Jesus’ miraculous birth and our souls cry out . . .

Gloria in excelsis Deo, glory to God in the highest, Gloria in excelsis Deo, glory to God in the highest, Gloria in excelsis Deo, glory to God in the highest.

What an incredible gift worth celebrating. When the Holy Spirit moves even an infant, still in his mother’s womb to rejoice, the news must truly be incredible. Even in our lowliness, even in our ignorance, Christ still comes to us, Christ still comes for us. That’s something truly worth celebrating with friends, with family, and with the entire body of Christ. Amen.