Angels and Eggshells

"Eggshells. Eggshells. That's how you'll say it."
The words of my choir director.
I was away at college and part of this amazing school choir.
We were learning how to properly sing "Angels We Have Heard on High".
In our own way, we were angels singing on high.
The power of voices in four-part harmony. Most of those voices, well trained. (I was just there as filler, I think.)
But oh!
The power.
The moments of praise and holiness.
The stirrings of worship.

We learned to erase the programmed way most of us pronounced "excelsis".
And we sang "eggshellsis".

"Gloria in excelsis Deo."
Glory to God in the highest.

Imagine an army of angels appearing one night. Imagine the sound of that army if they all opened their mouths and sang.
It would be mind-numbing.
Shocking.
Overwhelming.
A battle-cry and a victory-shout all in one.
It would have the power to bring you to your knees, trembling.
Their words would thunder across your ears and pound into the depths of your heart.
You would leave that place, changed.
Because what the angels just told you was about something mind-blowing.
A Savior, a new King, had arrived to save all people. From tyranny. From the grip of death.

"Gloria in excelsis Deo."

Gloria ~ glory, high honour, magnificence
in excelsis ~ in the highest place, to the highest degree
Deo ~ God

I've heard some awe-inspiring musical compositions performed by extremely talented performers, but nothing could compare to that choir of angels proclaiming glory to God on that night that Jesus was born. (Check out Luke 2 in the Bible.)
I would have loved to be in that field that night when the angels sang.
But in the here and now, shouldn't we be singing like this anyway?
Shouldn't our churches be filled with voices that sing out the glory of God, with passion, with abandon, with power, with praise?
It has to be more than reading verses from a hymnal; it has to more than reciting words off the overhead screen; it has to go deep. It has to come out meaningful, profound.
The words need to thunder in our souls; resound within the building's walls; flow from our hearts and our mouths like we really, truly believe.
Like we really, truly give our high and mighty God the glory and honour that belongs to Him alone.
Like we really, truly are humbled and thankful for His gift of life, hope and joy.
Like we sing with the angels.
Glory.
Excelsis.
Lift Him who is the Highest, to the highest place in our lives.

As the shepherds watched, and as they heard, let us watch and hear.

And let us praise like the angels.

Eggshellsis.

"Gloria in excelsis Deo."