Family Talk - The Glory of the Lord

< Back

THE GLORY OF THE LORD

Rev. Lawson M. Smith
Lesson: Luke 2:11-14

Who do we think about on Christmas Day? Who was wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger? The baby Lord. When we think of the newborn baby Lord, lying in a manger, so gentle and peaceful, we love Him.

You probably remember who came to see the Lord on the night He was born: the shepherds. And how did the shepherds know the Lord was born? The angel of the Lord told them! While the shepherds were guarding their sheep out in the fields, the angel came to them. A bright light shining out of heaven filled the night sky, for “the glory of the Lord shone around them.” They were terribly afraid at first, but the angel told them not to be afraid.

And when the angel had told them all about the Lord’s birth, suddenly the shepherds saw not just one, but a great army of angels, a multitude of the heavenly host. They were all very happy, and they said, “Glory to God in the Highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.”

Here is a wonderful thing: the Lord was born, a little baby. We know that the Lord is very strong, in fact He has all power. He is the Highest, the Leader of all the heavenly host. The Lord is very wise; He knows everything, and He knows everyone. And yet the Lord was born a little baby! So the angels said, “Glory to God in the highest!”

What is the Lord’s glory? Glory is like light, as when the glory of the Lord shone all around the shepherds. The Lord makes all light. He makes the sun, the moon, and the stars; He makes all the suns in the universe. He also makes the light of heaven. Sometimes the angels see the Lord up in the sky, with the glory of the sun of heaven all around Him. Sometimes they see Him walking with them, surrounded with a special light. This light is the glory of the Lord, and when they see it, the angels know that it is the Lord.

Another kind of glory is the glory of someone who is famous, someone that everyone has heard of, and admires and loves. We love famous people because they have done great things, like a soldier who fights bravely for his country.

Does the Lord have this kind of glory? Certainly everyone in the whole world has heard of the Lord, though they might not know His name. They might call Him by another name, such as “God,” but they are thinking of the Lord.

And the Lord has done great and wonderful things. He created the universe, and He takes care of it all the time. He conquered the evil spirits, and He protects us from them every day. For these wonderful works that He has done, we love the Lord and are very grateful. So the Lord is glorious in this way, too. We learn about the glorious things the Lord has done from the Word. We need to know about the Lord, so that we can follow Him and be led to heaven.

When the Lord was born, a lot of people had forgotten about the Lord, or had never even heard of Him. The spiritual world was full of evil spirits, and this world was full of people like the scribes and Pharisees. The evil spirits had taken over the lower parts of heaven, and they were trying to take over the higher heavens, too. The evil spirits wanted to possess people’s minds and bodies, to make everyone think and do whatever they wanted. Because of the evil spirits, no light from heaven could get through to us on earth, except through chinks and cracks. If the Lord had not come, we would not be able to learn anything in school or in church. Our minds would be pitch black. In fact, none of us would even be here, because the human race would have died.

But the Lord, when He came into the world, fought gloriously against the evil spirits and conquered them. He let the light of heaven shine through again. The Lord also taught the Word again. He gave us the New Testament, and He showed us how to understand the Old Testament. Now the glory of the Lord shines all around our minds when we read the Word. And everyone who wants to, can know about the Lord and be led to heaven.

This is why the angels were so happy on the night the Lord was born. They knew that He is our Savior and that He would rescue the people in our world, and in the other world, from the evil spirits, by His great power and glory. And so the angel said to the shepherds,

“I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day…a Savior who is Christ the Lord” …And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men” (Luke2:11-14).

Amen.


Printable Version