Tuesday Tidings, Dec 23, 2025

Dearest Members of Bethlehem,

“Hark! The herald angels sing, ‘Glory to the newborn king; peace on earth and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled.’  Joyful all you nations rise; join the triumph of the skies; with angelic hosts proclaim, ‘Christ is born in Bethlehem!’” -ELW #270

We will be singing lots of carols in the coming days, and “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing,” is one of the best.

It’s a tremendous carol for many reasons, but one of the elements that I truly treasure is this notion that we will have the privilege of

joining, “with angelic hosts” to proclaim the good news of Christ’s birth.

It is in fact, one of the realities of Christmas Eve, in those sacred moments of worship that we will share there is a thinness in the boundary between heaven and earth.

In the depths of our hearts and spirits, we know that something is different; much like that first Christmas the difference between heaven and earth becomes less pronounced, and we (once again) sense God being with us in powerful and meaningful ways.

And, I would like to stretch this just a bit more… I am convicted that we’re not only joining the angelic host in sacred praise, but we are joining with the whole communion of saints, all those who have gone before us.

Yes, it is often the case that we count up the number of folks in attendance at a Christmas Eve service… but that finally is a futile endeavor, an estimate at the very best.  Because there’s no way to number those who will fill that space on that holy night.  Emmanuel, the angels, and everyone that we carry in our heart, will be there to celebrate that in Christ the great enemy has been defeated and nothing can stand in the way of our joy.

“Glory to the newborn king!”

Question for reflection: What Carol has really resonated with you this year, and why?

Yours in Christ,

Pastor Dan

God of glory, we pray that you would fill us with a sense of your light and peace, that we might truly know a new depth of blessing and meaning in these holy days.  In Christ’s name we pray, amen.

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