Daily Bible Reading 26th March 2026 // Luke 2:8-20
8 And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. 10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,
14 “Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”
15 When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. 17 And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. 18 And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.
We see Luke's symbolism again in the angels' song. At the first creation we are told that the morning stars sang together and the sons of God shouted for joy (Job 38:7). And, now, at the new creation, the same angels sing for joy as they celebrate the new thing that is taking place. The 'glory' song that they sing is a full and significant statement of the gospel itself. We can trust the angels to know what the gospel is about! The significance of 'glory to God in the highest' is surely this, that it puts God first, it brings Him back again into His own world, and gives Him His rightful place. The tragedy of the world then, as it is now, is that God has been left out of His world. Sin means God driven out, and God withdrawn from men. But in this gift of the Babe, it is God coming back, God making the overtures of friendship and reconciliation. In Genesis 1 we read repeatedly, 'And God said…’ He is the speaking God, and here He speaks, breaking the silence caused by sin, and His voice speaks the word of salvation in the Word made flesh. And this gospel gives God His rightful place once again in the hearts of men; and when it is believed, and this Saviour received, it puts things right, reversing the topsy turvy order of things that have caused such ruin and havoc in the world. This is the meaning of the 'glory' song.