Read: Luke 2:9-21
"And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!’ When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.'"
Luke 2:13-15
We are not completely sure when Jesus was born. It was certainly sometime between 10 B.C.-4 A.D (probably more like 10-4 B.C.). He probably was not born in December. It was probably spring. We know this because of the shepherd reference. Shepherds wouldn’t be tending the flock in the fields in late December. To be fair, there are some very traditional Roman Catholics that still think Jesus was born in December, but most Protestants do not.
In the ancient church, there was a belief that great men of God died on the same day of their conception. The general belief was that Jesus died on March 25th (during Passover). If He died on March 25th, then according to this traditional belief, He was conceived on March 25th. Also, the day believed that Gabriel told Mary she would have Jesus. Given that Jesus was conceived on March 25th, the early church just calculated 9 months ahead to determine His birthday, December 25th. So the reason we celebrate the birth of Jesus on December 25th is due to an early church belief regarding conception and death.
It isn’t too important that we know the literal date Jesus was born. The important truth is that He was born. And when He was born, all of heaven was rejoicing. There are very few times in Scripture that we see a convergence of heaven and earth. Unsurprisingly, the birth of Jesus was so special, that all of heaven was singing. This heavenly choir was revealed to shepherds tending their flock in a field outside Bethlehem. Can you imagine their shock when the angelic host showed up? There the shepherds were minding their own business, tending their flock of sheep at night, when all of the sudden, heaven broke open. That would certainly be a night to remember.
That is how important and significant the birth of Jesus was. It wasn’t as if heaven was quiet until that point. There are a multitude of heavenly hosts that are perpetually singing of the glory of God. Jesus’ birth, however, was so impactful to the history of humanity, that God cracked open a window into the heavenly worship. Shepherds were given a glimpse of the beauty and majesty of heavenly praise.
If the birth of Jesus is so valuable that all of heaven is rejoicing, we earthbound creatures should be no less ecstatic. If this is a big deal in heaven, it should be a big deal here. During this busy Christmas season, don’t forget to sing with the heavenly hosts–praising God for what He has done.
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Prayer: Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased! Praise the LORD! “Praise the LORD from the heavens; praise him in the heights! Praise him, all his angels; praise him, all his hosts! Let them praise the name of the LORD! For he commanded and they were created. And he established them forever and ever; he gave a decree, and it shall not pass away” (Psalm 148:1, 4-5).