The Glory of Christmas

To give God glory, we sing His praise. To share His glory, we declare His Word.

When should we honor the Lord?

Always!

And the occasion of the birth of Jesus is no exception.

Twice in His description of Christmas, Luke calls attention to the glory of God. (Bible passages are from the NASB.)

In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock at night. ⁹And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood near them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. ¹⁰And so the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; ¹¹for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. ¹²And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” ¹³And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly army of angels praising God and saying, ¹⁴“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among people with whom He is pleased.” – Luke 2:8-14

The angel who unnerved the shepherds did so because he glowed with divine glory. And right after announcing the coming of the Savior, an array of the heavenly host joined this messenger to exalt God and pronounce peace for those receiving His favor.

Peace and praise are wonderful Christmas gifts!

God deserves glory because He kept His promise.

He gave us Jesus.

As we search the Scriptures, we find hints that point us to Christ.

Even in passages that we might not consider.

Psalm 98 is a good example.

“Sing a new song to the LORD, for He has done wonderful things, His right hand and His holy arm have gained the victory for Him.” – Psalm 98:1

The carols of the church fill our hearts with joy as we celebrate what God has done for us. As traditional as these numbers are, they’re new because they extol a work which had never happened before, and never will again!

Christmas is a package; it contains many blessings. Think of the miracle of John the Baptist’s conception and birth. The virgin Mary carrying the Son of God in her womb. Prophecies and proclamations about these events. Angelic visitations to Elizabeth, Mary, Joseph, and unnamed shepherds.

Christmas shows us that God’s plan worked!

“The LORD has made His salvation known; He has revealed His righteousness in the sight of the nations.” – Psalm 98:2

The name of Jesus means “the Lord is salvation.” And while the angel was the first to proclaim the good news, we Christians have been doing so ever since. We have a report everyone needs to hear: Christ has come to save all who ask! No exceptions, no qualifications; the gospel is for everyone.

“He has remembered His graciousness and His faithfulness to the house of Israel; all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.” – Psalm 98:3

Christmas fulfilled prophecies. Through the birth of Jesus, God kept His promises to send the Messiah.

“Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and she will name Him Immanuel.” – Isaiah 7:14

For a Child will be born to us, a Son will be given to us; and the government will rest on His shoulders; and His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. ⁷There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness from then on and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of armies will accomplish this. – Isaiah 9:6-7

“But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you One will come forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His times of coming forth are from long ago, from the days of eternity.” – Micah 5:2

In response, let’s sing to the Lord and share our gratitude with Him and with one another. The carols help us to praise our Father and reflect on His Word. And as we do so together, we glorify Him and uplift His people.

Merry Christmas!