In the days following Christmas, we can easily get caught up in all of the presents (both received and still hoped for, due to all of the sales!) and miss HIS presence! Take time to reflect on the gospel…the "good news"…that was proclaimed to the world…
The proclamation from the pasture…
And the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which shall be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord." Luke 2:10
This is how God came to save His creation…
Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, willingly leaves His Father’s majesty by not only taking on human form, but doing so as an infant. The Creator of the entire universe is "reduced" to a helpless baby, totally dependant upon His parents. The angels declared, "Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased." (Luke 2:14) In an intentional inversion, angels (the grandest created beings) declare God’s message to shepherds (the lowest of the low, in that time and place). It is "human nature" for us to make much of our little…to brag and boast about the smallest of thing. It was the making little of His much that revealed most marvelously God’s incomparable glory!
So what does God’s glory have to do with us?
First, God saves us for His glory…
"…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…" Romans 3:23
Second, God aligns us to His will for His glory…
"And the glory which Thou hast given Me I have given to them; that they may be one, just as We are one…" John 17:22
And third, God calls out through us to the lost of the world for His glory…
"…I in them, and Thou in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, that the world may know that Thou didst send Me, and didst love them, even as Thou didst love Me." John 17:23
Ascending the throne at the age four, Louis XIV rules as king of France for 72 years, the longest reign in modern European history. Consumed by his own power, he called himself the "Great Monarch" and declared, "I am the State!" But in 1715, King Louis XIV abdicated his throne to death.
His funeral was nothing short of spectacular. The great cathedral was packed with mourners paying final tribute to their king, who lay in a solid gold coffin. To dramatize the deceased ruler’s greatness, a solitary candle burned above his coffin. Thousands waited in hushed silence as they peered at the exquisite casket that held the mortal remains of their monarch.I in them, and Thou in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, that the world may know that Thou didst send Me, and didst love them, even as Thou didst love Me." John 17:23
Ascending the throne at the age four, Louis XIV rules as king of France for 72 years, the longest reign in modern European history. Consumed by his own power, he called himself the "Great Monarch" and declared, "I am the State!" But in 1715, King Louis XIV abdicated his throne to death.
His funeral was nothing short of spectacular. The great cathedral was packed with mourners paying final tribute to their king, who lay in a solid gold coffin. To dramatize the deceased ruler’s greatness, a solitary candle burned above his coffin. Thousands waited in hushed silence as they peered at the exquisite casket that held the mortal remains of their monarch.
At the appointed time the funeral service began, and Bishop Massillon, who presided over this official act of state, stood to address the mourners, including the assembled clergy of France. When the bishop rose, he did something that stunned the nation. Bending down from the pulpit, he snuffed out the lone candle representing Louis XIV’s greatness. The people gasped. Then in the darkness, came just four words from behind the open Bible:
"Only God is great!"
The proclamation from the pasture…
And the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which shall be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord." Luke 2:10
This is how God came to save His creation…
Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, willingly leaves His Father’s majesty by not only taking on human form, but doing so as an infant. The Creator of the entire universe is "reduced" to a helpless baby, totally dependant upon His parents. The angels declared, "Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased." (Luke 2:14) In an intentional inversion, angels (the grandest created beings) declare God’s message to shepherds (the lowest of the low, in that time and place). It is "human nature" for us to make much of our little…to brag and boast about the smallest of thing. It was the making little of His much that revealed most marvelously God’s incomparable glory!
So what does God’s glory have to do with us?
First, God saves us for His glory…
"…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…" Romans 3:23
Second, God aligns us to His will for His glory…
"And the glory which Thou hast given Me I have given to them; that they may be one, just as We are one…" John 17:22
And third, God calls out through us to the lost of the world for His glory…
"…I in them, and Thou in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, that the world may know that Thou didst send Me, and didst love them, even as Thou didst love Me." John 17:23
Ascending the throne at the age four, Louis XIV rules as king of France for 72 years, the longest reign in modern European history. Consumed by his own power, he called himself the "Great Monarch" and declared, "I am the State!" But in 1715, King Louis XIV abdicated his throne to death.
His funeral was nothing short of spectacular. The great cathedral was packed with mourners paying final tribute to their king, who lay in a solid gold coffin. To dramatize the deceased ruler’s greatness, a solitary candle burned above his coffin. Thousands waited in hushed silence as they peered at the exquisite casket that held the mortal remains of their monarch.I in them, and Thou in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, that the world may know that Thou didst send Me, and didst love them, even as Thou didst love Me." John 17:23
Ascending the throne at the age four, Louis XIV rules as king of France for 72 years, the longest reign in modern European history. Consumed by his own power, he called himself the "Great Monarch" and declared, "I am the State!" But in 1715, King Louis XIV abdicated his throne to death.
His funeral was nothing short of spectacular. The great cathedral was packed with mourners paying final tribute to their king, who lay in a solid gold coffin. To dramatize the deceased ruler’s greatness, a solitary candle burned above his coffin. Thousands waited in hushed silence as they peered at the exquisite casket that held the mortal remains of their monarch.
At the appointed time the funeral service began, and Bishop Massillon, who presided over this official act of state, stood to address the mourners, including the assembled clergy of France. When the bishop rose, he did something that stunned the nation. Bending down from the pulpit, he snuffed out the lone candle representing Louis XIV’s greatness. The people gasped. Then in the darkness, came just four words from behind the open Bible:
"Only God is great!"
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