O Come, Let Us Adore Him!

This Advent Season, I've been struck by the lyrics of one of the well-known Advent hymns, "O Come, All Ye Faithful." Check out the lyrics of the second verse:

God of God, Light of Light;
Lo, He abhors not the virgin's womb:
Very God, begotten not created.

Did you catch the profoundness of those words? They aren't your typical cutesy, mild Christmas carol words, are they? In fact, that verse is pretty much a rendition of part of the ancient Nicene Creed:

I believe...in one Lord Jesus Christ,
The only begotten Son of God,
Begotten of the Father before all worlds;
God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God;
Begotten, not made,
Being of one substance with the Father,
By whom all things were made.

Luke's account of Christ's birth is strikingly plain and simple, but the angels knew its ramifications. Considering that Christ's birth represented the advent of the Son of God who is God of God, Light of Light, and begotten of the Father before all worlds, is it any wonder that the angels couldn't contain themselves as heaven's host gloriously broke into the earthly realm to declare what the birth of the Messiah meant? I can't even begin to describe the wonder.

Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth, peace among those with whom He is pleased!