Angels We Have Heard On High
Angels We Have Heard on High
Angels we have heard on high
Sweetly singing o’er the plains,
And the mountains in reply
Echoing their joyous strains.
Gloria in excelsis Deo,
Gloria in excelsis Deo.
Shepherds, why this jubilee?
Why your joyous strains prolong?
What the gladsome tidings be
Which inspire your heavenly song?
Come to Bethlehem and see
Him whose birth the angels sing;
Come, adore on bended knee
Christ the Lord, the newborn King.
See Him in a manger laid,
Whom the choirs of angels praise;
Mary, Joseph, lend your aid,
While our hearts in love we raise.
THIS TRADITIONAL French carol tells the shepherds’ story as recorded in the Gospel of Luke. It tells about the angelic chorus, the trip to Bethlehem, the meeting with Mary and Joseph, and the adoration of the baby Jesus.
Luke 2:17-20 tells of the reaction of the shepherds after they had been to Bethlehem’s manger. They spread the word, and all who heard were amazed at what the shepherds said. Then the shepherds returned, “glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen.”
Sometimes our Christmas season ends with the viewing of the manger scene. We never get to the glorifying and praising, joining the angel chorus in the fullness of Gloria in excelsis Deo—“Glory to God in the highest.” Make Christmas complete this year by following the shepherds’ example, giving the highest glory to our Redeemer God.
The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them.
Luke 2:20
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