December 22
Luke 2:8-20
8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”
16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.
Peace
by Stephen Newby, D.M.A.
Did you know there are more than 400 verses about peace in the Bible?
Interestingly, during 400 years of silence (a period marking the measures between the Old and New Testaments, where no new prophets emerged), the Jewish people heard God’s silence loudly, a sound doctrine that would prepare the way to peace for all creation. Then winsomely, Luke’s gospel appears! We witness Angelic worship leaders, God’s heavenly beings, singing a song of peace. To be noted, of course, the shepherd’s response. They had a choice to enliven their curiosities heaven bound or to live with upheaval. With a spiritual awakening, the shepherds responded with spry, joy and peaceful good intentions.
Christmas season is filled with so many signposts of peace and peaceful good intentions. Giving gifts. Singing Christmas songs. Gathering with friends and family. Our souls long for the beautiful solace of peace. Our souls require seasons of reprise and reflection. And then there are so many moments we miss the miraculous opportunities to send our curiosities heaven bound. Instead of moving upward with peace, we find ourselves falling downward with upheaval. Our souls crave for peace. Our hearts long to rise from silenced siloed fear. We are waiting for angels to show up with peace and encouragement. Author Richard Rohr, in his work entitled: Falling Upward, states: “Soulful people temper our tantrums by their calm, lessen our urgency by their peace.” (p. 140 Richard Rohr, Falling Upward) Oswald Chambers, in his work My Utmost for His Highest posits: “Whenever you obey God, His seal is always that of peace.” This season as you engage with others, what do you bring to the situation? Do you bring your soulful sense of peace and prosperity? In our creatureliness we bring either Heaven bound or upheaval. Right?
Perhaps this Advent and Christmas, God is calling us to embrace God’s seal of peace, with a steady calmed serenity that passes all human understanding. It is God’s glory working in us peacefully. It is God being glorified in our soul and in our song. This season, may we live as signposts breaking forth peace keeping, peace giving, peace reflecting and peaceful responses. In the opening of Luke’s gospel, we have heard songs of peace from Mary (1:46-55), Zacharias (1:67-79), Simeon (2:29-32), and the Angels as found in 2:13-14. Now it’s time for us to sing our peace in God’s peaceful symphonic advent overture. Like the angels— let’s have everyone sing Peace. May God’s favor rest upon us—and that’s the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
About the Author
Stephen Newby, D.M.A.
Stephen Michael Newby, D.M.A., serves Baylor University as the inaugural chairholder of The Lev H. Prichard III Endowed Chair in the Study of Black Worship and as professor of Music within the School of Music. Dr. Newby also serves as ambassador for The Black Gospel Music Preservation Program. Dr. Newby came to Baylor in 2023 from Seattle Pacific University, where he had been a member of faculty since 2004. His most recent positions include professor of music, director of composition and director of the Center for Worship. Additionally, he has served on the faculties of the University of Michigan and Trevecca Nazarene University. While serving as a full-time faculty member, Dr. Newby has built a parallel career as renowned composer, fusing elements of Black gospel and jazz in churches, symphony halls, musical theatre stages and more.
For more than 35 years, he has served in various church music ministries in Michigan, Massachusetts, Washington, California and Georgia. His voice and works have earned awards and grants from the National Endowment for the Arts (Continental Harmony Grant), the King County Arts Commission of Washington, The Rackham School Fellowship for Ethnomusicological Research in Dakar, Senegal, and the John Wesley Work III National Composers’ Award. For more than nine years, he served as national anthem conductor for the Seattle Sounders FC. He created concert music for The Cascade Youth Symphony, Seattle Symphony, Ann Arbor Symphony, Canton Symphony Orchestra, New Haven Symphony, Savannah Symphony, and the New World Theater Orchestra, among others. His concert music works are recorded by Albany Records. His gospel music works are recorded and published by Maranatha Music and Newby’s Witness Music. His scholarly works are published by Rowman & Littlefield, and his worship and praise choral compositions are published by Fred Bock. He is currently co-authoring with Robert Darden, Baylor University’s Emeritus Professor of Journalism, the book, Soon & Very Soon: The Transformative Music and Ministry of Andraé Crouch, to be released early 2025 with Oxford University Press. Stephen is married to Stephanie Ashe Newby and they have one adult son Silas Michael Newby.