SHADYSIDE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

Our God, to the best of my knowledge this is the only passage of the Bible that refers to you singing, or even exulting.  To exult is to do more than simply be happy.  It depicts a joy that erupts from a deep place, and so those who have this joy must burst into song.

The prophet claimed that this is what you would do on the day that you entered our midst.  So Christians have long associated this prophecy with the heavenly host singing over the shepherds on the night Christ was born.  I think we’ve been right about that.

The fascinating thing to me is that, on the first Christmas night, you were the only one singing.  The shepherds were “terrified.”  Mary was “pondering.”  And we have no idea what Joseph was thinking at this point.  But you understood the depths of the joy long before the rest of us.  So it has always been.

You exulted with joy only because you love us and found us in Jesus Christ.  It’s a good thing for us that this is your reason for being so thrilled, because the human race is a little slow – especially in catching on to the things that make heaven sing.  Amen.