An angel of the Lord appeared to [the shepherds], and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified (Luke 2:9).
Our Father, we worship You in Your awesome majesty and splendor—Praise the name of the Lord, for His name alone is exalted; His splendor is above the earth and the heavens (Psalm 148:13). Splendor and majesty are before [You]; strength and glory are in [Your] sanctuary (Psalm 96:6).
Lord, anyone who has had an encounter with You has been overwhelmed by the power of Your presence—overcome by the radiance of Your glory. We think of Isaiah, who cried out, “Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, The Lord of hosts” (Isaiah 6:5 NKJV).
We think of Ezekiel who described the glory of the God of Israel coming from the east. His voice was like the roar of rushing waters, and the land was radiant with His glory (Ezekiel 43:2). We think of John, disciple, and close companion of Jesus during His earthly ministry; yet completely overpowered by His glory in his vision on Patmos: "When I saw Him, I fell at His feet as though dead" (Revelation 1:17).
The prophet Isaiah speaks of a time to come when "People will flee to caves in the rocks and to holes in the ground from the fearful presence of the Lord and the splendor of His majesty, when He rises to shake the earth" (Isaiah 2:19). But in Your great mercy, You sent us a Savior, who through the love of God, satisfied the justice of God by His death on a cross: For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Thessalonians 5:9).
And it was to these humble shepherds, keeping watch over their flocks at night (Luke 2:8) that You first gave the good news—the amazing plan of Your favor to humanity. In Your unfathomable wisdom, You chose to reveal to them Your announcement of things that the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come searched [for] intently and with the greatest care (1 Peter 1:10. Yet in the midst of the glory, and the celebration, they, too, were terrified as heaven came to earth in fearsome glory.
O Father, help us not to miss the glory of Christmas! Help us to understand the magnitude of heaven breaking through to earth, as we are given the gift of Emmanuel, God with us. Even as we celebrate, help us to bow in awe and reverence that heaven stoops to give its light and to grace sordid earth with its glory and wonder.
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