Music courtesy of The Falls Church Anglican Choir, Falls Church, Virginia, under the musical direction of Simon Dixon. Audio mastering by Andrew Schooley. From Messiah by George Frideric Handel (1742)

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Long ago it had been foretold that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem, the city of David. And now it had happened. An angel announced His divine birth, not to the rich, the famous, or the powerful, but to lowly shepherds who were tending their flocks out in the fields.

Suddenly, a multitude of angels appeared, “praising God and saying, “glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom He is pleased” (Luke 2:14–15). They saw and marveled at something no one else could see, the Son of God, who at God’s command had left His throne in heaven to take on human flesh, become the Messiah, and fulfill God’s great plan of redemption.

Looking back to that divine moment, that divine life and that divine mission can fill our minds and hearts with praise, adoration, thankfulness, and worship of the Father and His Son. In this season of Advent, let us seek to please the Father by making time to meditate upon these holy and heavenly realities and ask Him to open our eyes to see anew and our hearts to respond afresh to His grace and love to us in Jesus His Son, the Prince of Peace. As we do so, we will find our hearts filled with the peace that only He can give—peace with God, peace with ourselves, and peace with others.