Gloria in Excelsis Deo

Come to Bethlehem and see
Him whose birth the angels sing;
Come, adore on bended knee
Christ, the Lord, the new-born King.
Gloria in excelsis Deo.

This morning, I got a text message from a friend announcing the birth of her son, Milo. He arrived unexpectedly early during the wee hours of the morning in spectacular fashion shocking both his parents. God loves to surprise us.

The birth announcement of Jesus Christ was also unpredictably wonderful. A blaze of light and glory broke through the dark night as a choir of angels declared the Messiah’s arrival to an astonished group of shepherds.

When we see the glory of God first hand, the response is always awe and wonder. Our hearts are filled with praise.

Warren Wiersbe calls this our “theology” transforming into “doxology.” Doxology comes from two Greek words: “doxa,” which means “glory,” and “logos,” which means “word, say, saying.”

When you know who God is, the natural result is an outpouring of speaking His praises. Paul exemplifies this in Romans 11:36 when He declares: “For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be glory forever. Amen.”

This Advent, we can join the praise party with Paul and the shepherds by shouting out God’s glory to the watching world…