阅读经文 

我们今天继续讨论天使报佳音给牧羊人。“听啊！天使高声唱”（新生王歌）是另一首富有意义又喜闻乐见的歌曲。

第一节中间的一句话很容易被人忽略：“天人从此长融洽”。这一深刻的真理充分说明了耶稣的使命，以及神拯救我们脱离罪恶和死亡的伟大计划。

保罗在哥林多后书第五章中解释说，神已经藉着基督使我们与祂和好。自从人类堕落犯罪，（参创 3）我们与神的关系就被破坏了。然而，神愿意恢复这种关系。做到这一点的唯一途径是藉着祂的儿子耶稣基督这一礼物。（参约 3:16）

当天使宣布耶稣的诞生时，他们也提到了耶稣带来的平安。伴随着这平安同时到来的是，神与所有相信祂的人和好了。在耶稣里，神靠近我们，让我们与祂和好，好使我们再次与祂和睦同居。

保罗说，因为我们与神和好，所以我们也有分享这好信息的职份。我们是“神的使者”。既然已经与神和好，我们就可以与他人分享我们与神关系修复的福音。无罪的耶稣为我们成为罪，使我们可以为祂而活。

We continue today with the angels’ announcement to the shepherds. "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" is yet another favorite song packed with meaning.

Four words in the middle of the first stanza could easily be overlooked: "…God and sinners reconciled." This profound truth speaks volumes about Jesus’ mission and God’s great plan to save us from sin and death.

Paul explains in 2 Corinthians 5 that God has reconciled us to himself through Christ. Ever since the fall of humanity into sin (Genesis 3), our relationship with God was broken. Yet God wanted to restore that relationship. And the only way to do that was through the gift of his Son, Jesus Christ (John 3:16).

When the angels announced the birth of Jesus, they spoke about the peace that Jesus brings. And with this peace comes reconciliation between God and all who believe. In Jesus, God comes to us, to reconcile us to himself so that we can live in relationship with him again.

Paul says that because we are reconciled with God, we also have the task of sharing the message of reconciliation. We are "God’s ambassadors." Having been reconciled, we can share with others the good news that our relationship with God is restored. Jesus, who had no sin, became sin for us so that we may live for him.