… an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. –Luke 2:9
This is such a glorious time of year! As we celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ, it is inevitable (and appropriate) that we are reminded of the account of those privileged shepherds who were visited by an angel of the Lord as they announced the birth of the Messiah. As I’m sure you know by now, I am fascinated by both the physical and the spiritual concepts of light and how tied they are in scripture to the glory of God. Woven through scripture we see this light/glory connection in the experiences of Moses, who shone with a radiant light after being in the presence of God (Exodus 34:29-35), in the visions of Daniel and Ezekiel, who were given glimpses of God’s glory and were overwhelmed by its beauty and power (Daniel 10:5-9; Ezekiel 1:4-28), and in the experience of Paul, who was blinded by the light of Christ on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:3-9).
But the most remarkable thing about the light of God’s glory is that, as blinding and unapproachable as it is presented in these accounts, through Jesus Christ we have been given direct access to an even greater light! As John writes, “God is light, and in him is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5) and, even more powerfully, in Hebrews 1:3 we are told, not that Jesus just shines God’s light, but that Jesus is himself the fullness of that light as “the radiance of the glory of God.” Thus, the incarnation of Christ embodies (pun intended) a profound paradox in that the greatest manifestation of the glory of God came into the world in the humblest form for any human—a helpless baby. The shepherds were visited by an angel of the Lord, and the glory of the Lord pierced the night… but when they went to find the baby Jesus, they found him in a rough and improper bed, in meager clothing, surrounded by the poor circumstances of a peasant family sheltering in squalid manner among the beasts of burden.
I truly enjoy the seasonal lights and decorations at this time of year, as they give a visceral reminder of the true light of God this season and the joyous, celebratory nature of the Christmas holiday. I look forward to the sights, sounds, and smells of a cozy home and warm family. However, the season truly elevates as we think to the things of God this season. I urge you to be reminded that, even amid the most glorious of any physical decoration, wonderful music, or other “glory” that we can imitate via material things, the true and greatest glory of God is found in the “light” of the person of Jesus himself. As his followers, we are called to be children of this amazing light, to walk in the light of his presence, and to be this light to a world that is still in darkness (Eph. 5:8; Phil. 2:15). In doing so, then, every season should be a season of light! In Christ, all nights, even the most cold and lonely ones, can be nights filled with the glory of God in a greater way than that that has shone to the shepherds, or to Daniel, or to Ezekiel. This light is Christ himself, who saved us, who loves us, who intercedes on our behalf, in whom we live and rest, and with whom we will one day dwell in the light of his glory (Rev. 21:3). Revel in this light; dwell in this light; and know that light (and only this light) is the eternal light that will never leave you in the dark!
I pray that you are filled with joy, wonder, and worship as you bask in the glory of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, this Christmas season.
Love,
Pastor Aaron
