"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased" (Luke 2:37, ESV).This verse reminds us of two important truths that come through the Christmas story. Although the message of Christmas is richly textured and multifaceted, we will only look at the two that are expressed in this verse. The first truth is that God is highly glorified because of Christ's coming. The second truth is that peace is available to those the Lord favors.
As the angels are singing their heavenly chorus, their primary concern is proclaim the glory of the Creator. He who spoke the world into existence, had come down to rescue the fallen image bearers. The God Most High had come to dwell among the lowly, fallen creatures who had rebelled against his rule. This truth inspires awe among the heavenly host, and should leave us full of awe.
God has chosen to be most glorified through the process of redemption. For his own purposes, he has chosen to demonstrate the greatness of his mercy by rescuing man from the penalty of sin. This willingness on God's part means that now man can have peace with his Creator.
In the Christmas story, we see that God has chosen to glorify himself through the appearing of the Son in human flesh, and that that appearing has brought us peace. Through faith in Christ Jesus, we can approach the Father in heaven. We have access to his abundant mercy for all our needs. Christmas means that God wants to glorify himself through rescuing sinners like me and you. It means we can abide in his peace. I hope and pray you are abiding in that peace this Christmas season.
Picture Available @ http://picturesofjesus4you.com/catalogview_do.html.
No comments:
Post a Comment