Zechariah 6:1-7:14, Revelation 15:1-8, Psalms 143:1-12, Proverbs 30:24-28
Today is the 24th day of December. Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. December 24th obviously means this is Christmas eve. And, so…so, Christmas is upon us, and I am…I’m so grateful that we get to enjoy this season together. And I’m trying to really embrace that attitude of gratefulness today, gratefulness for my brothers and sisters that make up the body of Christ, that we all need to be a part of all because God chose to condescend himself down to a form like us and become one of us and come into the world and rescue us and show us what life can look like and show us the narrow path that leads to it. So, I am grateful today on this eve of Christmas day. And we’ve got another step to take forward. Doesn’t matter whether it’s Christmas day or any other day of the year. We have a rhythm and we allow God’s word to be a part of that rhythm by speaking into our lives. And, so, we’re reading from the Good News Translation this week. And today, this Christmas Eve we will read Zechariah chapter 6 and 7.
Commentary:
Okay. So, on this Christmas Eve in the book of Revelation we were taken to the…the banks of a sea made of glass mixed with fire. So, let’s just take a second and imagine a sea of glass…so…that could be glass…that…that could be glass…like…glass, right? Or that could be that it was very, very calm, a sea that’s very calm mixed with fire. So, we just have to imagine that. And standing next to the sea were those who had endured, those who had overcome, who had won the victory over the beast and its image by the blood of the lamb and the word of their testimony. They’re standing by the sea of glass, and each of them are holding harps that were given to them by God. What a treasure. And they were singing a song, and the Bible identifies the song as the song of Moses and the song of the Lamb. So, there singing a song of worship by the side of an ocean of glass mixed with fire. And these are the ones who endured until the end. And that…that might not sound like baby Jesus in a manger, right? Like, that…that might not sound very Christmas-y, but they sang a song of worship to Jesus. So, what we have in the book of Revelation today is a worship song from the past, the song of Moses to the Lamb, which is Jesus taking place in the future. And this worship song is…is t Jesus. And, so, on this Christmas Eve, let’s hear, let’s embrace, let’s participate in this worship that has been recorded for us but has not yet happened. “Lord God Almighty, how great and wonderful are your deeds! King of the nations, how right and true are your ways! Who will not stand in awe of you, Lord? Who will refuse to declare your greatness? You alone are holy. All the nations will come and worship you, because your just actions are seen by all.”
Prayer:
Father we worship You. You are the one who was and is and is to come. And on this day that we mark the eve of Your arrival. We drink in the fact that You aren’t only a helpless baby Jesus, You are the most high God, and You did come in all humility, almost undercover as it were, and You lived a life of humility. And we ask Holy Spirit that You would help us to enter into that humility over the course of the next couple of days. The most momentous event in the history of the world was accomplished in humility, and not just human humility, the humility of the God of Angel armies. And, so, we recognize this all-powerful Savior and we invite Your Holy Spirit to hover in and among all of the thoughts, words, and deeds of today in this evening and tomorrow, all of the festivities that are going on. Come Holy Spirit we pray. In the mighty name of Jesus, we ask. Amen.
Song:
O Holy Night
O Holy night! The
stars are brightly shining
It is the night of our dear Savior’s birth
Long lay the world in sin and error pining
‘Til He appears and the soul felt its worth
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn
Fall on your knees; O hear the Angel voices!
O night divine, O night when Christ was born
O night, O Holy night, O night divine!
Truly He taught us
to love one another;
His law is love and His Gospel is Peace
Chains shall He break, for the slave is our brother
And in His name, all oppression shall cease
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we
Let all within us Praise His Holy name
Christ is the Lord; O praise His name forever!
His power and glory evermore proclaim
His power and glory evermore proclaim
Fall on your knees; O
hear the Angel voices
O night divine, O night when Christ was born
O night, O Holy night, O night divine!