Angels We Have Heard on High

 12/22/2020  Luke 2:8-11  [NIV]

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.

- This was a defining moment in human history: Angels from heaven confirmed the birth and identity of the promised Messiah who was God.  The problem was, it was to lowly shepherds who had little credibility in the halls of wisdom and power.  Now if the angels had appeared there, surely the story would have gained more credibility and acceptance throughout the world and the rest of history. 

- Again, the vastly superior wisdom of God revealed itself.  Christianity will always appear foolish and easily reduced to pathetic nonsense by those whose credibility is established by advanced degrees and positions of power.  We must appreciate God’s choice of uneducated field hands whose report could never be acknowledged in the halls of learning or control of this world.  Human redemption from sin and separation from God could never have been accomplished by power or might.

- The knowledge of good and evil could not be turned into a battle between good and evil.  That was Satan’s plan.  Good would be forced to pit will against will, affirming as truth that a self-willing nature was a reality in the Kingdom of Heaven.  As such, it would be superior to the gentle, meek, loving nature of God and could eventually replace it as the true nature of heaven by causing meekness to stand aside, or else rise up in opposition to pride and thus change its essential nature. God’s apparent tolerance of Satan and evil spirits in heaven in scripture reveals his unfathomable wisdom to provide an answer that check-mated evil by not struggling against it, but overwhelming it with the very nature of Love. 

- As light does not struggle against darkness by simply being One Thing, Light, so love overcomes evil by only being One Thing: Love.  This is the essence of truly understanding what Jesus taught us and his disciples.  Believers do not need to struggle against the powers of this world, but to simply be the Light and Love of God.  We are not in competition with the wisdom and powers of this world, and have no need to defend ourselves or worry about the times in history when Evil appears to come in like a flood.  It is complete Hope and Joy to simply remain in the presence of Christ IN us, and let His Love and Light shine through us.  We know, and we know that we know, how it ends.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Matthew 25: 14 - 30 - The Parable of the Bags of Gold [NIV]

  The Parable of the Bags of Gold 14  “Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them.   15  To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag, [ a ]  each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey.   16  The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more.   17  So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more.   18  But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money. 19  “After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them.   20  The man who had received five bags of gold brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five bags of gold. See, I have gained five more.’ 21  “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been...
Read more

Matthew 25: 1-13 - The Parable of the Ten Virgins [NIV]

  The Parable of the Ten Virgins 25  “At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.   2  Five of them were foolish and five were wise.   3  The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them.   4  The wise ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps.   5  The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep. 6  “At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’ 7  “Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps.   8  The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’ 9  “‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’ 10  “But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were rea...
Read more

2/4/2023 1 John 4:4-5 [NIV]

    “You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.  They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them”     It comforts me to know there is One within me who is greater than the one who is in the world.  We are not alone: we are possessed.  Within every human is a spirit that dwells in both the spiritual and natural realms.  This consciousness marks us from the rest of creation.  We are not mere animals, not because we have travelled to the moon, but because we imagined we could.  Our understanding of physics and math enables us to take command of our environment and travel beyond our world, but it is incapable of grasping spiritual truth and understanding.  Those who limit their understanding based on ‘science’ or natural wisdom imagine those who believe in God and in angels and demons, heave...
Read more