The Glory of Christmas (Part Three)

As we conclude our consideration of the glory of Christmas we move from the person of Christmas (Christ) and the power of Christmas (the Holy Spirit) to…

The Praise of Christmas (Luke 2:9,13-15,20)

Last week we talked about the two aspects of how God’s glory is manifested…

• Innate- this is the inherent glory that is part of God character. It can never be diminished or added to, because it is perfect.
• Enhanced- what we do to give glory to Him as we live in His Name in the world.

Here we see both! At the event of the first Christmas, we see…

A. Innate (v.9)- “the glory of the Lord shone around them”. Notice that it was God’s glory, not the angels’ that was the shocking display witnessed by the shepherds. The glory returns to Ichabod Israel for the first time since Ezekiel 11:22-23- but that glory is not in a tabernacle or a tent, nor is that glory in thrones or crowns. They find that glory in a manger!

B. Enhanced- this happens on two levels…

1.    The angels (v.14)- “Glory to God in the highest!”

2.    The shepherds (v.20)- “praising and glorifying God for what they had seen”

What an amazing thing—the first to hear (the shepherds) were the first to tell. They left to tell, and then returned to worship—do we? His glory is manifestly displayed for all to see, but only a lowly few responded to the wonder and the glory of Christmas! Will you, or will the glory be washed away in a sea of wrapping paper?

The story of Christmas is the story of glory—the glory that was to be so powerfully displayed that all three members of the Trinity were involved in displaying the greatness of the glory of God for human eyes to see.

As we see all that God has done, however, we must consider a moment all that was not done by man. So much was left undone then- no royal welcome, no concern or care for this Child. Isaiah even says we hid our faces from Him!

He deserved so much and received so little—He still does deserve so much today. May our Christmas declare the glory of the Lord- by making sure it is a Christmas worthy of the King! How poignantly the poet wrote…

They all were looking for a king, to slay their foes and lift them high;

Thou camest a little baby thing, that made a woman cry.

Don’t miss the wonder and the glory by looking for the wrong things this Christmas.