Dear Praying Friends,
Thank you for sharing the burden of prayer with us each Wednesday as we focus on our prodigals and the need for revival.
The Christmas season and the glory of our Savior’s birth cause us to rejoice as we worship and adore Him with all our hearts. Luke is the only gospel writer who uses the word glory in telling about the birth of Jesus.
Three times it is mentioned in chapter two. It’s interesting that Luke, the writer who focuses on Jesus as a man, is the one who emphasizes the glory of His birth.
When the angels appeared to the shepherds,“The glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear” (Lk 2:9). Then, as the message came about the babe being wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger, the heavenly host began to praise God saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom He is pleased” (Lk 2:14).
Finally, as the Spirit of God prompted the old man Simeon with little Jesus in his arms, he said, “My eyes have seen Your salvation…a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel” (Lk 2:30,32). The three glories manifest the glory of the Lord, the glory of God, and the glory of His salvation.
On that dark night, the glory of the Lord was so magnificent that the shepherds were filled with great fear, but the angels assured them that the birth of the Savior was a time for joy and not fear. As they gave glory to God and praised Him, the angels told of the wondrous peace that the Savior would bring to this troubled earth and to our anxious hearts.
When Simeon prophesied about God’s glory to Israel, he may have had two future days in view: a day of suffering when the Savior would glorify His Father through His death upon the cross and a day of triumph when He would return in great power and majesty to reign with His people.
As we reflect on the glory of our God in the coming of Jesus, may our hearts be filled with true worship, not only for what He has done, but for who He is, and what He is doing, and what He will yet do.
Have a wonderful Christmas and may God’s joy, peace and wonder fill your hearts today and always.
Love in Christ,
Bryan and Rachel
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