Sarah Assbring is also known by her stage name of “El Pero del Mar.” Neither name is what one would likely consider “famous.” She’s been an indie pop musician in Sweden for about 20 years; her music often focusing on hope and loneliness, sometimes at the same time.
She did, however, hit the nail on the head with her single “God Knows (You’ve Got To Give To Get).” The uncomplicated lyrics are repeated multiple times.
God knows
I’ve been taking a lot without giving back
God knows
I’ve been asking a lot without giving back
You gotta give to get
You gotta give to get back
You gotta give to get back to the love
And there you have it – the message of Christmas in a nutshell. Almost.
Today’s verse can be unpacked by Sarah’s song.
GLORY TO GOD IN THE HIGHEST HEAVEN, AND PEACE ON EARTH TO THOSE WITH WHOM GOD IS PLEASED
The multitude of angels that appeared in the shepherd’s fields outside of Bethlehem announced the message, and the shepherds wrestled with the meaning.
GLORY TO GOD IN THE HIGHEST HEAVEN
Sarah was right, you’ve got to give glory to God to get back to the love He has for you.
The entire purpose of the angelic message was to deliver an invitation as well as an announcement.
Let me give you the “Bishop Robert Version” of the angel’s proclamation:
“Surprise !!!! God is here, and He’s closer than you think. And guess what ?? He wants to meet you!! Yes, YOU !!! Don’t be afraid, because this is really good news. To underscore how approachable He wants to be, He’s come as a newborn babe. But, so you don’t forget who He really is, here’s a small glimpse of how heaven adores Him:
GLORY TO GOD IN THE HIGHEST HEAVEN, AND PEACE ON EARTH TO THOSE WITH WHOM GOD IS PLEASED.”
Sarah was right, God knows How much we need Him. He has His invitation delivered with the original singing telegram. “GLORY TO GOD INTHE HIGHEST HEAVEN.” The shepherds responded by seeking Him. When they found the Holy Family, they found what their faith had been training them to seek – The Messiah.
Sarah was right, you gotta give to get back to the love.
This was the first time in history that someone wrestled with the age old Christmas dilemma – what do you give the person who has everything? If there was ever a person who had everything, it is God! He not only HAS everything, He created everything. In fact, if He didn’t have it and wanted it – He could just speak it into existence.
When you finally “find God” and are touched by the incredible generosity of God’s welcome, something happens inside of you. You recognize that you’re not worthy. It dawns on you that you’ve “been taking a lot without giving back,” and that God knows it. Now, you finally recognize it; but you’re stuck with the question.
What can you give to God ???
And there is only ONE answer to that question.
The only thing you have to offer God is something so precious that the Almighty would never TAKE it from you; He will only receive it if you offer it to Him willingly. It is the gift of YOU. Yourself. Your love. Your life.
YOU are what God wants for Christmas.
Sarah was right, you gotta give to get back to the love. Love is waiting for your decision, He is waiting for you to give yourself. He came and offered Himself to you. Now He is waiting for you to reciprocate. He won’t force you. He’s waiting. And nothing would make Him happier.
That brings us to the second part of today’s verse.
PEACE ON EARTH TO THOSE WITH WHOM GOD IS PLEASED
When you give YOU to God, He seals the transaction with the Holy Spirit and changes you from within. You become a new creation. He speaks to your heart and says, “Rejoice, be made complete, be comforted.”
Then you and He can live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you. ALWAYS. The sin that separated the two of you is eliminated. The same God who spoke everything INTO existence commands even the memory of your sin to be gone from His presence.
How far away does He send them, you may ask. He removes our transgressions as far as the east is from the west. Consider that for a moment. If He had said “as far as the north is from the south” then your sins would only be about 40,000 kilometers away. You can only head north for so long before you are automatically heading south. Now for some of you, 40,000 kilometers may be far enough. Not for me. My sins were so vile I’d still be able to smell them from that distance.
But when He says “as far as the east is from the west” that’s a different story. You can travel east forever and NEVER get to west. He removes our sin to Neverland, so to speak. He will never recall them, because He has made His peace with you.
When you offer YOU, it pleases Him so greatly that He offers you HIM !!! And He gives you His proclamation of peace between the two of you. You give glory, He gives grace.
Because He knows that you desperately need to be freed from your sin.
He knows that His peace is really what you’ve been asking for, even if you didn’t know that yet.
He knows who He has created you to be, even if you don’t know that yet.
GLORY and GRACE – the keys to God’s peace.
Sarah was right. God knows.
GLORY TO GOD IN THE HIGHEST HEAVEN, AND PEACE ON EARTH TO THOSE WITH WHOM GOD IS PLEASED
