Glory Part I
“The external elegance of the internal excellencies of God”, is one way to define the word, glory, which is used in this scripture. It is the beautiful light of God penetrating the physical reality of our earth and heaven, becoming visible and experiential in a single moment of time.
Scripturally, there are many different usages of the word “glory”:
1. Glory can be the summation of God’s innate attributes.
Who is the King of glory? The Lord, strong and mighty; the Lord, invincible in battle. Psalm 24:8 (NLT)
2. Glory can be experienced as God’s manifested presence.
And as Aaron spoke to the whole community of Israel, they looked out toward the wilderness. There they could see the awesome glory of the LORD in the cloud. Exodus 16:10 (NLT) To the Israelites at the foot of the mountain, the glory of the LORD appeared at the summit like a consuming fire. Exodus 24:17 (NLT) All around him was a glowing halo, like a rainbow shining in the clouds on a rainy day. This is what the glory of the LORD looked like to me. Ezekiel 1:28 (NLT)
3. Glory can be given as praise.
Let the whole world glorify the Lord; let it sing his praise. Isaiah 42:12 (NLT) When we look at these three different expressions of “glory” we understand that the uniqueness of this scene in Luke 2:8–14 is that all three expressions are present.
When the first angel arrives he announces that the “Messiah” or “Savior” has been born. This is no small announcement because it means the fulfillment of over 300 prophesies. This is an announcement of God’s faithfulness to fulfill His word. It is a recognition of His innate character, His glory, and the initiation of His plan for redemption.
It is no wonder that heaven burst forth with praise! When God’s nature is revealed to us through the fulfillment of His promises we cannot help but glorify Him!
As the angels glorify God, the shepherds experience God’s glory all around them. God’s presence being revealed to the lowly shepherds, a group that was often looked down upon in society at this time, was itself a sign of what was to come. The shepherds didn’t have to go to a mountaintop to experience God’s glory, His presence came to them.
Because of Jesus, the precious and sacred presence of God would soon be available to all mankind.
This Christmas, as we reflect on and ponder the birth of Christ, let us remember to give God glory for who He is, what He has done, and what He will do just as the myriad of angels did on that Holy night, for when we do this, we can experience an incredible peace like no other.
Let us pray!
Glory be to the Father
and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning is now,
and ever shall be world without end.
Amen.
Photograph by Eberhard Grossgasteiger @eberhardgross via Unsplash