Title: THE GLORY OF THE LORD

Focus: The heavenly glory of God overpowers and outshines all earthly glory.

Function: To encourage the people to focus on Christ, for he reflects and reveals the glory of God and moves us to express praise and awe to God.

Text: Luke 2:1-20

Glory is one of those terms in the church’s vocabulary that is difficult to describe in one or two words. But I think that we all—young and old alike--have a sense of its meaning. Consider, for example, some glory sights. I’ve never been to the Rocky Mountains. I have never seen its beauty with my own eyes, but I have seen its glory captured by video cameras. Surely, the rugged scenery, the majestic mountains, the awe-inspiring geysers, and the wild animals roaming around in this natural wilderness area—that’s a glorious sight.

Or consider the astonishing pictures we have received the last decade or so from the Hubble Space Telescope. The scriptures tell us “the heavens declare the glory of God.” You don’t need the Hubble Space Telescope to verify that truth. Our own eyes can absorb God’s glory as we scan the night sky with its many stars, or when we watch a beautiful sunset. But there is no doubt that the Hubble Space Telescope pictures underscore the truth that the heavens are indeed a breath-taking site of glory.

Here are some other glory sights: the Statue of Liberty in New York; the acres of colorful tulips in full bloom in Holland’s Keukenhof; or the blossoming cherry trees in springtime, in Washington, D.C. All these glory sights help us to capture the meaning of the term “glory.”

There are not only glory sights, but also glory moments. Such moments, too, can help us grasp the concept of glory. For example, when the Vikings score the winning goal with a magnificent play, the entire stadium revels and roars in such a glory moment.

About six weeks ago, I attended a professional soccer game, and I was struck by the athletic abilities, the wit and the level of strategy and play. It was fun to see professionals perform at such a high level. And every time a brilliant play led to a goal, the supporters of the players would express their cheer and joy in that glory moment. Such moments are filled with cheer and joy and delight. Or take, for example, a massive choir, singing the “Hallelujah Chorus” by Handel’s Messiah. Surely, that is a glory moment for all who sing and for all who hear the wonderful sound.

Glory moments, however, are not always moments of great sound and athletic ability and cheerful supporters glorifying their favorite team or choir. Oh no, this week my wife and I had a quiet, yet breathtaking glory moment. We received a Christmas present from our children—a large calendar with each month displaying some pictures of our kids. All Rosanne and I said to each other in response to that simple calendar with those pictures was: “wow!” “cool!” and “neat!”

Glory moments and glory sights—we all recognize them when we see them. But as we enter the Christmas story tonight, we have to acknowledge that the heavenly glory of God overpowers and outshines all earthly glory, so much so, that the glory of God can even lead to great fear and trepidation. Listen to the text: (vs. 9) “An angel of the Lord appeared to (the shepherds), and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.” Come; explore with me a bit the meaning of “the glory of the Lord.”

When God called Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt into the Promised Land, God displayed his abiding presence or glory by way of a pillar of cloud. As Pharaoh and his soldiers were chasing the Israelites, a pillar of cloud, accompanied by the angel of God, led the Israelites through the waters of the Red Sea. By night, the pillar of cloud was inhabited by fire. Thus God showed his glory, striking wonder in the hearts of his people, Israel, and terror in the hearts of their enemies. The exodus event came with a magnificent sight of glory.

Centuries later, we notice another glory sight. King Solomon is about to dedicate the temple of God in Jerusalem. The priests have carried the furniture, including the ark, into the temple. The people and the king have gathered for prayers of dedication and consecration. Then we read in the text: (I Kings 8:10) “When the priests withdrew from the Holy Place, the cloud filled the temple of the Lord. And the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled his temple.”

The glory of the Lord, then, points to the very presence of God in the midst of his people. That presence is so pervasive that it fills the temple, and the priests could not do their work. It must have been awesome, in some way frightening, but also reassuring to God’s people.

During the days of Jesus and his disciples, we learn of one more glory moment. It’s when Jesus takes James, John, and Peter with him on a mountain. When they reached the top, we learn that Jesus transfigured before their eyes; Moses and Elijah also appeared on that mountaintop. And we also learn about the glory cloud enveloping the disciples. Listen to the gospel of Mark (9:7ff): “Then a cloud appeared and enveloped them, and a voice came from the cloud: This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!”

The transfiguration of Jesus, along with the glory cloud and voice within—all point to the awesome, terrifying, presence of God. Surely, the heavenly glory of God overpowers and outshines all earthly glory.

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The birth of Jesus is a case in point. The entire birth story as found in Luke 2 brings into contrast the heavenly glory of God and the earthly glory of people. It’s our task tonight to soak in God’s glory and always keep our eyes of faith focused on that Christ-child in the manger of Bethlehem.

For example, the story of Jesus’ birth begins with a reference to the glory of Caesar Augustus and the Roman Empire. Listen: “In those days Caesar August issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world.”

Now a census is a sign of earthly power and glory. Caesar would know how many people he governs; how many tax dollars he might be able to levy; how many soldiers he might be able to conscript for his armies.

A census gives Caesar opportunity to brag about his domain, and to calculate his power in the empire. The story of Jesus’ birth, then, takes place in the midst of an imperial display of glory. Caesar speaks; his subjects are counted; the earthly glory of Rome is on display.

But now compare Rome’s glory with the glory of the Lord revealed to the shepherds, and you begin to see that God’s heavenly glory overpowers and outshines all earthly glory. Just ask the shepherds. The text tells us: “And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.”

Note the heavenly glory: brilliance of heavenly light surrounds the shepherds; that glory comes in conjunction with the angel of the Lord; and the glory of the Lord sets the stage for the glorious message that announced good news to the shepherds.

You see, the glory of the Lord is the backdrop of the WHEN—WHERE—WHAT—AND--WHO message:

WHEN—“Today”

WHERE—“in the town of David”

WHAT—“a Savior has been born to you”

WHO—“he is Christ the Lord”

Also, the glory of the Lord becomes a sounding board for a great company of the heavenly host …praising God and saying: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.” If ever we see and encounter a glory moment and sight, it’s here: in the fields of Bethlehem, in the midst of the shepherds.

In contrast to this heavenly glory in the fields of Bethlehem, we note that the shepherds also reveal a sense of glory. We see them at their finest. For they obey the angel and respond to his message: “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” In other words, they verify the truth of the angel’s announcement. They find Mary and Joseph; they see the baby lying in the manger. With their own eyes they verify the truth of Christ’s birth.

More than that, their glory is seen not only in their obedience and in their verification of the angel’s message; it’s also seen in their spread of this good news. For the text says that “When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.”

And just as the heavenly host, responding to the message of the angel of the Lord, broke out in a doxology, so the shepherds respond to the Christ-child in the manger. Listen to the text (vs. 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.” Clearly, here we see the shepherd’s glory: we find them at their best.

But I will say it again: the heavenly glory of God outshines and overpowers all earthly glory. Again, this is clear from the biblical text. But this time the glory of the Lord is hidden. A diamond does not give away its glitter and shine all at the same time. So, it is also with this “diamond” in the manger. The heavenly glory of the Lord is hidden in simplicity and poverty.

Listen: “While (Mary and Joseph) were (in Bethlehem), the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.” It all seems so insignificant--a baby in a crib in a stable or cave. Not a palace, not a hotel suite, not even a simple bedroom in a small, cozy home. It’s in simplicity and humility that God brings this pearl of heavenly glory to our broken world.

I say “diamond” or “pearl” of heavenly glory, for this child of Mary is the eternal Son of God in the flesh. It is of him that the apostle John spoke when he said: (Jhn.1:1,14) “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” Thus we see the glory of God at its brightest in the obscurity of a manger in a cave or stable.

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Of course, that raises the question how I can say that the heavenly glory of God overpowers and outshines all earthly glory? The answer is simple: the hidden glory of God in Christ Jesus—hidden by way of his divine conception and virgin birth—comes to expression in the person and work of Jesus. That’s why we must keep our eyes on Jesus.

Many of us take time to grow in the life of Christ by being shaped or formed by the Scriptures on a regular basis, by public Christian worship on a weekly basis, and by consecrated Christian living on a daily basis. In that way, the glory of God, captured and embedded in Jesus, is always before us. Others, however, have closed their eyes to Jesus’ person and work.

Some of us are in and out: You take note of Jesus during Christmas time and Easter time perhaps. (I’m glad you do). Today, however, I pray that you will hear the scriptures’ call to bask in the glory of Christ’s birth. Today, I pray that Christmas may be a glorious celebration for you. I also pray that you will fasten your eyes of faith on Jesus on a daily basis.

He has come for our sake. He has died; he is risen; and he will come again, for the sake of the world. Behold his glory! It’s for all to see—and cherish!

In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen!