Rest Beside the Weary Road and Hear the Angels Sing

During our Christmas Eve service today, we sang "It came Upon a Midnight Clear." It's a very familiar Christmas song, one I've heard many times, but I'm not sure I've never thought much about what the lyrics say. 

I was really blown away by the third verse which says,

"O ye beneath life's crushing load,

Whose forms are bending low,

Who toil along the climbing way,

With painful steps and slow;

Look now, for glad and golden hours.

Come swiftly on the wing;

Oh rest beside the weary road

And hear the angels sing."

Maybe you can relate to feeling crushed beneath life's load, painfully and slowly toiling and climbing. I know I can. It's that last sentence that gets me though. "Oh, rest beside the weary road, and hear the angels sing." The song reminds us that yes, life is hard, and our load is often heavy, but now is the time to rest beside the weary road we're traveling and pause long enough to hear the angels sing. 

Typically, my family has event after event to prepare for and attend for Christmas  but this year, because of illnesses and various circumstances, our plans have been postponed to later next week. It's been different but also special. For the first time I can remember, I have not been hurrying around or busy with Christmas tasks. Instead, I have had time to just be with my family and focus on what this season is really about. 

All of the celebrations are wonderful, and I truly enjoy each one, but this year, I am getting a taste of what I believe the shepherds experienced. These men were extremely hard workers who spent most of their time taking care of sheep. They were viewed as the lowest in society and most-likely underappreciated. They were probably smelly, dirty, and exhausted. They knew the weight of a difficult life, just like so many of us do. But one night, a host of angels appeared to these men and gave them the most amazing news ever. The angels could have appeared to anyone, but the shepherds were chosen, proving that the news of the Messiah was for everyone, no one was excluded.

I like to consider how they may have felt when the angels appeared. It must have been terrifying to see those magnificent beings pop out of nowhere into the night sky. In that moment, I'm sure they stopped what they were doing, rested along the road, and listened to the angels as they sang, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom He is pleased!”

This Christmas, it worked out for me to rest along my weary road, listen and worship, and ponder what the gift of Jesus means for me and my family. His birth brought hope, peace, joy, and love to a world who so desperately needed it and still does. I hope you'll join me in intentionally resting on whatever road you are traveling, and I pray that you are intimately reminded of God's greatest gift to us all. 

Merry Christmas!

Tori