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(Click refresh or reload for current message) Wednesday,
December 13, 2023
The
Country Club
Plaza in
Kansas City,
MO
A great seasonal childhood Christmas memory was our annual family trip into Kansas City to view the Christmas lights at the Country Club Plaza. "Heaven's
Flash Choir"
Message
summary:
Today let us
consider a
special flash
choir that was
present at the
birth of
Christ, "Heaven's
Flash Choir".
Note:
Due to
background
noise
(Hispanic
drywall
finishers) a
podcast not
prepared for
this message.
The new room
is now opened
up so we can
keep the
temperature
up.
"Suddenly
a great
company of the
heavenly host
appeared with
the angel,
praising God
and saying,
“Glory to God
in the highest
heaven, and on
earth peace to
those on whom
his favor
rests" (Luke
2:13,14).
We
both enjoy
choir music,
although
Brooksyne more
so. Brooksyne
has directed
choirs over
the years and
now enjoys
singing in
one. In my
case (Stephen)
from an
analytical
perspective I
think it's
amazing,
especially in
a large choir,
how the voices
synchronize so
that the words
are clear, the
blend
musically is
tight and
sounds as one
voice. It
would seems
that if they
started even a
fraction of a
second before
or after other
voices the
words would
sound blurry
(which for the
record I
realize is not
an official
musical term).
Years ago Brooksyne was invited to be a part of a "flash" choir at Lancaster's Central Market to sing the Hallelujah chorus. You've probably seen videos of these such as the one we post below recorded at a mall food court. These flash choirs are intended to be a surprise and the participants are often spread throughout the crowd lending additional surprise when that person standing next to you starts singing out in a beautiful voice that blends with other voices all around the room. Today let us consider a special flash choir that was present at the birth of Christ. They joined the angel who had proclaimed the birth of Christ to the shepherds. "Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying:..." The "suddenly" indicates this was similar to a flash choir! Now
Scripture does
not elaborate
on how many
were present
in this great
company but I
think it was
probably large
based on the
words "great
company". I am
also pretty
sure they had
a good sound
that projected
for all to
hear (no sound
techs or sound
equipment
needed)!
The words in our daily text are the summary of praise of the heavenly host of angels to the Shepherds at the time of Christ's birth. I use the word "summary" since I wonder if there was actually more to their message that Luke summed up as “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!" If that's all I heard a choir sing it would probably leave me wanting just a bit more singing than that! Today we consider the phrase "on earth peace". We associate Christmas with love, joy, and peace, but also in the same Scriptural narrative there is the written record of unimaginable evil. We know the story but it's not a section of the Christmas narrative we choose to focus on. We might even prefer to skip over it since the backdrop seems to be unconducive to what we perceive as the proper setting for the Christ Child's arrival. King Herod, in an effort to destroy the Christ Child King, ordered his soldiers to kill "all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under" (Matthew 2:16). What a horrible time this must have been for parents, siblings, grandparents. Herod was an exceedingly evil man. We also consider the moral depravity of the soldiers in carrying out such an evil command. Even though we know Herod's motivation there is no reason to believe the inhabitants of Bethlehem did. We who believe in Christ still live in a fallen world with much evil and unrest. The peace of which the angels sang sure does not appear evident. Rather, all around we see strife. But the peace the angels spoke of is not the external circumstances that surround us. Rather it is the reconciling peace that Christ imparts within our hearts when we come to know and accept Him as Savior and Lord. True peace in other ways will come when the Prince Of Peace returns. Ultimately there is a future time when "the wrong shall fail, the right prevail." The peace reigning within our hearts is truly a gift from God that surpasses all tangible gifts. Won't you receive this peace and the Christ of Christmas today! Stephen
&
Brooksyne
Weber
![]() Special
Year-end
Financial
Appeal
We want to thank all who have financially supported our ministry this past year (and some for many years!). Like most ministries, we typically see a spike in giving at the end of the year for which we are most thankful. Thus we bump up this appeal on each post through the remainder of the year. We
realize there
are many fine
ministries and
causes
requesting
support at
this time but
if you would
like
information
about making a
donation to
our ministry
see here.
In considering support we are so pleased when we hear from you, our readers, that our messages are a source of teaching and encouragement to you. We also urge you to consider the mission aspect of these daily teachings that are freely available and read by many all over the world. You
can send a
check payable
to "Daily
Encouragement
Net" to:
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and Brooksyne
Weber
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Kraybill
Church Road
Mount
Joy, PA 17552
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We
want to thank
all who
financially
support our
ministry. We
realize there
are many fine
ministries and
causes
requesting
support at
this time but
if you would
like
information
about making a
donation to
our ministry
see here.
In considering support we are so pleased when we hear from you, our readers, that our messages are a source of teaching and encouragement to you. We also urge you to consider the mission aspect of these daily teachings that are freely available and read by many all over the world. ![]() ![]() Thank
you,
Stephen
&
Brooksyne
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Encouragement
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