And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.”

If you’re not careful, you almost miss that moment.  Reading through Luke Chapter 2, there is so much happening.  Mary and Joseph return to Bethlehem.  Mary gives birth to Jesus and lays Him in a manger.  Close by some shepherds are hanging out with their flock and watching the stars.  Suddenly an angel appears to bring them great news.  Then a choir of angels appears praising God.

As it’s laid out in the text, it’s an amazing moment in history.  But have you ever stopped to consider what was happening behind the scenes?  I mean, this is a moment the residents of Heaven have been waiting for.

Their King, the Lord Jesus Christ, just did the impossible.

Their King, the Lord Jesus Christ, left His throne at the right hand of God and came to earth as a tiny, human baby.

Their King, the Lord Jesus Christ, has initiated the Great Rescue Plan.
The plan to redeem man and defeat death once and for all.

The scripture doesn’t elaborate on this moment.  This side of heaven, I doubt anyone will know the story of what took place behind the scenes.  But here’s my own take on it.  Humor me…

There was a TON of excitement in Heaven.  I can only imagine the clamoring as angels played paper, scissors, rock to see who would get to go first.  I mean, they knew enough about man to know that if they all popped out at once they’d send the entire group of shepherds running.  No.  They needed to pick one… just one… to step out and share the good news.

How hard was it to choose who would get to go?  Was it the highest ranking angel?  Did they play eeny-meeny-miny-mo?  Did they hide in heaven like an anxious group of partiers just waiting for the guest of honor to arrive so they could jump out and yell, “Surprise!!!”??  Who knows!

We DO know that when that ONE angel appeared, the glory of the Lord filled the darkness with light.

I love that part.  You see, according to scripture, the darkness NEVER overcomes the light.
Stick that in your back pocket and don’t forget it.  A life-long truth you’ll want to hang onto.

After the angel shared his news,

“Don’t be afraid! I have good news for you, a message that will fill everyone with joy. Today your Savior, Christ the Lord, was born in David’s city.
This is how you will recognize him: You will find an infant wrapped in strips of cloth and lying in a manger.”

Then suddenly, as if they couldn’t possibly wait another second, an army of angels appear in the sky singing,

“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased”

What a miraculous, unexpected moment that was for the shepherds.  What a party that was for the angels.

As you read through Luke 2 this Christmas and celebrate the birth of Christ, take a moment and imagine the parts of the story that aren’t told in scripture.  Like waiting for Ed McMahon to deliver the million dollar check to your grandmother’s front door… the excitement only builds when you imagine what took place “behind the curtain”.