Glory unto God who gives us light. Glory in the highest to God. And upon earth may peace reign among men of good will.
The Lord is God, and He has given us light.
Psalm 118:27
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.”
Luke 2:13-14
During this season of the Nativity Fast, we instead will focus on the Great Doxology, the hymn of the angels, as well as reflect on the many feastdays that occur during this season. Each day we will examine one line from the Great Doxology. The format each day will be a line from the Doxology, followed by one or two Scripture verses related to it.
The last hymn of the Orthros service is called the Great Doxology. In many churches, this is the first hymn sung by the choir. I remember growing up, our priest had the church mostly darkened during the Orthros and at the Doxology the lights were brought up fully. It was like the church was fully awakening in anticipation of the Divine Liturgy. And even though this hymn is not part of the Divine Liturgy—the Divine Liturgy begins with the words “Blessed is the Kingdom”—this hymn has a practical purpose in announcing that the Divine Liturgy, and with it, the Holy Eucharist, is about to begin.
As with so many things in our church, this lengthy hymn is closely related to Scripture. The opening line is the hymn that the shepherds heard the multitude of the heavenly hosts singing on the night of the Nativity. While the Doxology does not appear in its entirety in one place in the Bible, the hymnographer takes each verse from Scripture and weaves together a beautiful, powerful, thoughtful, reflective and complete hymn.
The Orthros service honors the saint of the day. On Sundays, much of the Orthros is dedicated to the Resurrection. On other days, the Orthros tells the biography of a saint in hymns. For example, on the feastday of St. Nicholas, which we will celebrate in a few weeks on December 6, we will hear the story of his life told in the hymns. Additionally, there are fixed elements in every Orthros service, such as the reading of six Psalms, petitions and prayers.
In monasteries, the Orthros is celebrated in the early morning hours, with the Doxology coinciding with the sunrise. Hence, it begins with a reference to God giving us light. One of the early hymns of every Orthros proclaims “God is the Lord and has revealed Himself to us.” This hymn is taken in part from Psalm 118:27, which reads “The Lord is God, and He has given us light.” This not only refers to the coming light of day, but the light of God, which, as we read in John 1:5, is “the light that shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”
Moving on to the Nativity account, we are told that the first people to hear the good news of Christ’s incarnation were simple shepherds. A census was taking place in Bethlehem and throughout the country, and everyone journeyed to the city of their ancestry to be counted. There were thousands of people who had converged on Bethlehem. The scene was both chaotic and joyful. It was joyful, as there undoubtedly was revelry at family reunions. It was chaotic because the city was overrun with people and there was no room in any inn, especially for Joseph and Mary, who was imminently expecting the birth of her Son. She would end up giving birth in a cave used as a stable because there was no room for them anywhere else.
A shepherd was one of the lowest people on the societal totem pole at the time. Shepherds were nomadic. They had no permanent home but wandered from place to place, tending flocks of sheep. They were not counted in the census, that’s how unimportant they were considered. There was no revelry for them, just another night out in the cold, protecting their sheep from wolves and other predators. It was a lonely and scary life for them. It is ironic that the multitude of angels appeared to them. Bethlehem was too busy and noisy to notice as the sky filled with the multitude of the heavenly host, and night turned into day. (I love the image of the dark sky becoming filled with light, with night turning into the brightness of day because of the glow of the angels. The is juxtaposed to Good Friday, when at the crucifixion of Christ, day became night as the sun hid itself.)
The message of the angels was simple, yet glorious. At first just one angel appeared, “and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear.” (Luke 2:9) It’s hard to quantify what the glory of the Lord looks like, but I would imagine it would be a combination of light and peace. And then the whole sky filled with the angels aglow with the glory of God. Their hymn was “Glory to God in the highest, and one earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.” (Luke 2:14) Many translations of this verse mistakenly say “Glory to God in the highest and on earth, peace, goodwill to men.” It is important to note that Luke 2:14 says “among men with whom He is pleased,” or in Greek, “en anthropis evdokia.” Peace is a gift that God gives to people of good will. It is not for all people, but rather for people who seek it, and who strive to be peaceful. The gift of God to those of good will is “the peace of God which passes all understanding.” (Philippians 4:7) It is the peace in the midst of conflict. It is the peace that allows us to survive trial and tribulation. Peace is a gift from God, which is received with humble hearts. This is why the shepherds received it, because they were quiet and humble about their business, patient as God’s plan for salvation unfolded, and included them. If want to experience the light and peace of God, it begins by having peace in our own souls and reflecting that in our lives. This is why the Doxology begins with the themes of light and peace.
Lord, thank You for showing me the light of a new day. Please fill my dark places with Your light, and may I reflect Your light into the dark spaces of others. Help me to be a person of good will so that I may receive the gift of Your peace which surpasses all understanding, the peace that brings calm even in the midst of conflict. May I always strive to be worthy of this gift. Amen.
May we experience the light and peace of God with hearts that are filled with good will towards others.
