The First Christmas Carols

^{Luke 8:2-80-20
8} And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. ⁹ An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. ¹⁰ But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. ¹¹ Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. ¹² This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
 ¹³ Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
 ¹⁴ “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
 ¹⁵ When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”
 ¹⁶ So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. ¹⁷ When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, ¹⁸ and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. ¹⁹ But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. ²⁰ The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

"They gained the highest notes, on the divine scale of praise" for the highest act of His Godhead.

Angels
They said of this salvation:
            a) It gave glory to God
            b) It gave peace to man
            c) It was a token of God's good will toward the human race

1. The worth of salvation is God's highest glory.
       a) "The angels in heaven rejoice over one sinner who repents"
       b) There is more melody in 'Jesus in the manger' than in anything else we have     
            experienced on earth.
       c) Power is at it's strength when it can conceal power - the power of a divine God as a
            helpless infant.
       d) When angels sing they glorify God, not man.
            The Gospel never glorifies man or his effort to get to God, it glorifies God's effort to 
            touch mankind (and it glorifies the Message, not the proclaimer). Put the glory wholly and
           solely  upon Christ, not man.
        e) A new song is heard - "On earth peace".
            The manger represented a new peace treaty between man and God, between our
            conscience and us.
            The sacred peace between the pardoned soul and God the pardoner.
            We need "the peace which surpasses all understanding and guards over our hearts
            and minds in Jesus Christ".

2. Christianity was never designed to make our pleasure less, or rip off our joy.
          It teaches us to seek some pleasures differently or to replace some base pleasures with
          Godly ones, but it than makes up for anything that gets taken away.
          Love, joy, peace, kindness, contentment instead of selfishness, striving, judging, hating,
          hurting.
       a) One of the first things the Holy Spirit teaches or delivers to you is a cheerful disposition 
          - don't be ashamed to feel gladness and joy.
          We sing in church because we enjoy God and He enjoys us.
       b) When we sang today, we kept Christmas as the Angels did - "Peace on earth and glory to
          God". Peace in your heart, peace with yourself, peace with each other AND peace with
          God". 
          When God has become your peace good will to all men flows out.
          Have peace with the giver and their gift to you will be acceptable, it's not about the gift but
          the connection.
          No goodwill equals a lousy Christmas.

Wishing you a merry Christmas, it's there to be found.