Sweetly singing o'er the plains,
And the mountains in reply
Echoing their joyous strains
Gloria, in excelsis Deo! Gloria, in excelsis Deo!
I love Christmas music. Gloria, in excelsis Deo! means ‘Glory to God in the highest’. That’s what the angels said.
Sing, choirs of angels. Sing in exultation. Sing, all ye citizens of Heaven above! it says in another Christmas Carol.
Who were they exactly, singing in exultation? Were they real angels? What are angels anyway and why do they always seem to be singing?
I don’t know, but this is the season of angels. They’re everywhere. On top of Christmas trees, in the snow like this one from the Great Blizzard of 21. Me and Sophie my neighbor’s daughter made it.
They show up in Facebook posts. Like the one that came thru from a friend recently. Power angels.
A text message from another friend read: “Angels are watching over you.” accompanied by an emoji of a little guy with a halo and a big smile. “We are in charge of pointing out that you can go in any direction you choose.” said the angels in the text message.
Maybe angels are anything that helps us. You know, like the phrase ‘your better angels’.
Maybe angels are every beautiful person you meet in your life.
I remember one time I was in New York City at the JFK airport departure lounge. I had come to New York to attend a conference and fell sick while I was there. Lost my appetite, lost my energy and was trying to get home, get thru the security razzamatazz and I’m standing in the line when a woman comes up to me, touches me on the shoulder and asks ‘Are you ok?’
I was not ok but I didn’t know it at the time. I said ‘Yes.’ and went into the bathroom, splashed water on my face, got back in the line, made it home and got really, really sick. I remember that woman now as some sort of an angel, like she could see that I was about to collapse, faint away, and she came up to me and touched me and gave me kindness and gave me support. She was an angel.
Touched by an angel? Wasn’t that a movie?
Maybe every breath we take is the sweep of an angel’s wing, flowing air right into our body. The power of breath.
Now I’m noticing angels everywhere: newborn babies, kids, the woman who just walked by me and sat down. Santa Claus?
Shepherds, why this jubilee?
Why your joyous strains prolong?
What the gladsome tidings be
Which inspire your heav’nly song?
Come to Bethlehem and see
Him whose birth the angels sing;
Come, adore on bended knee
Christ the Lord, the newborn King.
Gloria, in excelsis Deo!
Brilliant.
Music by ‘Damascus Worship’ featuring Olivia Rae. Thank you.
Angels We Have Heard on High