When Heaven and Nature Sing
When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen:
“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”
“Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”
Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus: “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!”
“I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.”
Luke 19:37-40
The book of Romans tells us that creation has been groaning as if in labor, “in bondage to decay” (Romans 8:21,22), waiting for its redemption as part of a world that fell, ages and lifetimes ago, when the earth’s caretakers walked away from their creator. Rustling leaves and shining stars still point wordlessly to the one who made them:
The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge.
They have no speech, they use no words; no sound is heard from them.
Yet their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the end of the world.
Psalm 19:1-4
Creation is held back, the writer Paul says in Romans, from being all it was meant to be. But simmering beneath the surface is praise, and expressions of praise such as we have yet to see. Jesus, arriving in Jerusalem as a king, tells the Pharisees that if he silences his disciples, rocks will erupt in praise. The king has come! nature would declare. Look! He’s here! Peace in heaven, and glory in the highest!
The praise of the disciples on Palm Sunday echoes another entry:
Suddenly a great company of 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
Peace in heaven, peace on earth, and glory—always—in the highest. The king has come! the angels declare. Go and see: he’s here. At the birth of Jesus, heaven sings; in praise of the Lord, the very earth will cry out. Heaven and nature will sing.
We love to sing at Christmas: new songs, old songs, Christmas songs. Music is woven into the Christmas story from the very beginning. Today, use your voice for praise. Sing a song in your car; tell someone what God has done for you; repeat the sounding joy: the king has come. Nature and heaven stand beside you.
Song: “Joy to the World” –For King and Country
This song is part of our Silent Nights playlist on Spotify.