THE GLORY OF CHRISTMAS
John 1:14-18
Dr. Roger W. Thomas, Preaching Minister
First Christian Church, Vandalia, MO
Glory is one of those special words. Do you notice how much of a Christmas word it is? Many, if not most of our favorite Christmas carols use the word somewhere. Most often it is in reference to the angels’ song to the shepherds, “Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests” (Lk 2:14). Think of some of the carols we have been singing this month:
Who can forget, even if we don’t know what it means, the chorus from Angels We Have Heard on High, “Gloria in excelsius Deo.” That’s the word for glory. Hark! The Herald Angels Sing begins and ends with “Glory to the newborn king.” Vs. 2 and 3 of O Come All Ye Faithful sings, “Glory to God, all glory in the highest,” and then “Jesus, to thee be all glory given.” While Shepherds Watched speaks of the glory that shone around the angel choir and then it quotes their song. Silent Night speaks of “glories stream from heaven afar.” Joy to the World refers to the “glories of his righteousness.” Angels From the Realms of Glory includes it in the title.
We can’t help but sing about the glory of Christmas. But I wonder if we understand our songs. I want to define and explain that word today because it is so important for our text and our understanding of what we are celebrating in the Christmas season.
Let’s begin with some facts. The word in its various forms is used nearly 300 times in the Bible; 130 times in the New Testament. This makes it a pretty significant word. Generally the word is used in two different, but related ways. First, glory is used as an attribute or characteristic of something, specifically God in our context. For example, God’s glory filled the temple or his glory appeared to the Israelites in the cloud by day and fire by night. Exodus tells of the glory of the Lord settling on Mt. Sinai. This is the most basic sense of the term.
Listen to 2 Chr 7:1-3: "When Solomon finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the LORD filled the temple. {2} The priests could not enter the temple of the LORD because the glory of the LORD filled it. {3} When all the Israelites saw the fire coming down and the glory of the LORD above the temple, they knelt on the pavement with their faces to the ground, and they worshipped and gave thanks to the LORD, saying, "He is good; his love endures forever.""
The Old Testament frequently speaks of God’s glory in this way, but the same word can be used to describe a quality of a person or nation. For example, (Prov 20:29) "The glory of young men is their strength, gray hair the splendor of the old."
The original term in the Old Testament was related to a word for “heaviness” or “weight.” Something that was glorious or possessed glory was something of substance. It was a heavy weight, not a light weight. We might talk of an important business man or politician as a “heavy weight” without any reference to size. Glory was that which had such substance that it left an impression. We would speak of something that was “impressive.” Even after it was over, the memory or the reaction remained.
When I think of this word concept, I get a clear mental image from the movie Jurassic Park. Do you remember the scene early in the film, just after the dinosaur has escaped? The children are sitting in the Land Rover. Suddenly they hear something. Actually they feel it before they hear it. The camera closes in on a glass water in the cup holder. Even before you hear the steps of the huge beast, you see the water begin to quiver, more and more. Something heavy was coming. It was definitely leaving and impression even before it could be seen!
God’s Glory was his presence. When God showed up he left an impression. Things did not stay the same. Even though God could not be seen by the naked eye and he was never to be represented with physical idols, his presence still had “weight” or “glory.” Sometimes the Living God might use a physical form to show his presence---a cloud, a flame, or the wind. But even when he didn’t, he was impressive. You knew when He was there.
It is an easy step then to use the word “glory” in the second sense of giving “weight” or “praise and honor” to someone else or claiming it for oneself. The Bible often uses the word in the context of worship. When we glorify God, we proclaim with our lips that he is impressive, weighty, glorious. Listen to these biblical songs of worship: (1 Chr 16:10) "Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice." (1 Chr 16:24) "Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples." (1 Chr 16:28-29) "Ascribe to the LORD, O families of nations, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength, {29} ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name. Bring an offering and come before him; worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness." (1 Chr 29:11) "Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, O LORD, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all." (Isa 42:8) ""I am the LORD; that is my name! I will not give my glory to another or my praise to idols." (Exo 15:11) ""Who among the gods is like you, O LORD? Who is like you-- majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders?"
The glory of God so presents his reality that sin is described as “falling short of the glory of God “(Rom 3:23). Our future is described in terms of sharing in God’s glory: (Rom 5:2) "through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God." (Rom 8:17-18) "Now if we are children, then we are heirs--heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. {18} I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us." (2 Cor 4:17) "For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all." The most notable aspect of heaven is the glory of God: (Rev 21:11) "It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal." (Rev 21:23) "The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp."
There is an interesting exchange between Moses and the Lord in Exodus 33 that most likely has important bearing on our text. (Exo 33:12-23) "Moses said to the LORD, "You have been telling me, ’Lead these people,’ but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. You have said, ’I know you by name and you have found favor with me.’ {13} If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. Remember that this nation is your people." {14} The LORD replied, "My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest." {15} Then Moses said to him, "If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. {16} How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?" {17} And the LORD said to Moses, "I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name." {18} Then Moses said, "Now show me your glory." {19} And the LORD said, "I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the LORD, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. {20} But," he said, "you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live." {21} Then the LORD said, "There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. {22} When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. {23} Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen.""
This brings us to our text: (John 1:14-18) "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” Something happened when Jesus was born that was so powerful, so marvelous, so awesome that the only word that fits is Glory. Those who visited that stable didn’t just see a baby in a manger. They saw glory. Something weighty, something with substance was taking place. A God thing was happening. It was glorious! Here lies the real understanding of Christmas—It’s glory! Let’s explore that for a few moments.
1. First, the Glory of Christmas is a surprising glory. That’s a big part of the fun for Christmas for a child or an adult—being surprised. I remember Christmas as a child. Our folks didn’t make a big deal of the Santa Claus bit, but they let us have our part of the childish fun. We always opened our gifts in our family on Christmas Eve, then we would go to Grandpa Thomas’ on Christmas Day. But our Christmas Eve always went something like this. We would be busy doing what ever we would do all day long. Dad would do the chores on the farm. We boys would do ours. Of course, I was the oldest boy so I did by far the most. (AHH, in sympathy). We would have supper and talk excitedly about what was under the Christmas tree. It was generally a few small gifts. Not much.
Even before supper was done, Mom or Dad would begin talking about the pretty lights that some of our neighbors had put up. One of them would suggest that before we opened our gifts we go for a drive and see the Christmas lights. Maybe they suggested (wink, wink) that Santa might come while we were gone. We much preferred to get right on with the gift opening business. But Mom or Dad would prevail.
We would load in the car ready to see the lights. And here is the strange part, every time we would get in the car , Dad would have to run back in the house for something. We would sit there for several minutes, just waiting. We never knew why he always had to go back in the house. It wasn’t to go to the bathroom. That was down the path out back. After a while he would return and smile at Mom and then we would go for our drive. Every time when we arrived back home and headed in the house, sure enough, Santa would have come and left a bunch of new presents under the tree. He always did it while we were on our drive to see the lights. How he planned it that way I will never know. The surprise was a big part of the fun. It must have been a pretty glorious surprise because it has left an impression on me to this day.
That is what Christmas is about—surprising glory. “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.” What happened in Christ’s birth was not expected. For over a thousand years the prophets of God has been promising that a Messiah was coming. But few expected what was going to happen. Most thought God would send another David or another Moses or maybe another Elijah. The messiah would be a great king, the greatest prophet or better yet a mighty soldier-hero. They thought their problem was political, or educational, or economic. If someone could just get those things straightened out, it would be heaven on earth. Wrong!
God said the problem was spiritual and moral. Human kind didn’t need a teacher, a social worker, or a new king. God said we needed a Savior. So the Messiah came in surprising glory, not the glory of power and splendor but the glory of humiliation and sacrifice. And the biggest surprise of all: God was not going to send an angel or a carefully chosen hero to do the work of the Messiah. He came himself.
The most striking and controversial truth of the Gospel is first that God was in Christ reconciling the world until himself—that the Word was God and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. Do you understand the magnitude of that. J. I. Packer one of the great evangelical writers of our time in his marvelous book Knowing God has striking section on this (pp. 45-46). He begins by noting that a lot of people find difficulty with the Gospel in the wrong places. He says that the often sighted issues like the miracles, the virgin birth, or even the resurrection are small matters to believe in compared to the big one. “The really staggering Christian claim is that Jesus of Nazareth was God made man. . . . God became man; the divine son became a Jew; the Almighty appeared on earth as a helpless human baby, unable to do more than lie and stare and wriggle and make noises, needing to be fed and changed and taught to talk like any other child. And there was no illusion or deception in this: the babyhood of the Son of God was a reality. The more you think about it, the more staggering it gets. Nothing in fiction is so fantastic as is this truth of the incarnation. . . . This is the real stumbling block in Christianity. It is here that Jews, Moslems, Unitarians, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and many of those who feel the difficulties above-mentioned (about the virgin birth, the miracles, the atonement, and the resurrection), have come to grief. It is from misbelief, or at least inadequate belief about the incarnation that difficulties at other points in the gospel story usually spring. But once the incarnation is grasped as a reality, these other difficulties dissolve.”
But his surprising glory didn’t end in Bethlehem. Jesus was constantly surrounded by those who would have followed him and professed at least temporary allegiance if he would perform another miracle or show some sort of power display. “If you are the son of God, come down from the cross.” “He claimed to save others, but he cannot save himself.” But here lies another part of the surprise. Jesus came to lay down his life as a sacrifice. His finished work included a cross. It may sound unbelievable, foolish, and certainly surprising, but it is God’s Glory that we are talking about.
John’s Gospel, which we are studying, is all about this. The book divides into two halves. The dividing point is chapter twelve The first half emphasizes the presence of God demonstrated in his signs, miracles and teachings. Early in this first half John says of Jesus’ ministry, (John 2:11) "This, the first of his miraculous signs, Jesus performed at Cana in Galilee. He thus revealed his glory, and his disciples put their faith in him."
The second half of the book zeroes in on the final week of Jesus life. Chapter 12 begins the transition with these words (John 12:23-24) "Jesus replied, "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. {24} I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds." In his birth and in his death, Jesus showed us heaven’s surprising glory.
2. Next, the glory of Christmas is a Surpassing Glory . The glory, the impression, the revelation in Christmas is unique and unrivaled. It stands alone. Great prophets and kings have come and gone, but none came like this one. “We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” The Bible is crystal clear. There is only one God, not two, not three. That one God became flesh and dwelt among. Translations render this truth variously. The NIV refers to the “glory of the One and Only who came from the father.” The KJV translated this “the only begotten of the Father.” However it is worded the meaning is that the One whose birth we are celebrating at Christmas is unique. There is none like him. He is the one the prophets spoke of . Referring to the Old Testament promises, John 12:41 says, "Isaiah said this because he saw Jesus’ glory and spoke about him.”
Our text speaks clearing of the surpassing glory of Christ, "{15} John testifies concerning him. He cries out, saying, "This was he of whom I said, ’He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’"{16} From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another. {17} For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.”
Because Christ was the Creator taking up the form of a man, no one, absolutely no one has ever surpassed him. No Old Testament hero. Not Abraham. Not Moses. Not David or Elijah. No king or ruler. No real or fictional hero has come close to promising and doing what Jesus can do. His glory, His impression, his impact surpasses any other, living or dead.
He even surpasses his one great rival at this time of the year. Have you read this piece that someone set me the other day? It explains in clear terms the surpassing glory of Jesus in terms we can understand :
WHY JESUS IS BETTER THAN SANTA CLAUS
Santa lives at the North Pole--Jesus is everywhere.
Santa rides in a sleigh--Jesus rides on the wind and walks on the water.
Santa comes but once a year--Jesus is an ever-present help.
Santa fills your stockings with goodies--Jesus supplies all your needs.
Santa comes down your chimney uninvited--Jesus stands at your door
and knocks, and then enters your heart when invited.
You have to wait in line to see Santa--Jesus is as close as the mention of His name.
Santa lets you sit on his lap--Jesus lets you rest in His arms.
Santa doesn’t know your name. All he can say is "Hi, little boy or
girl, what’s your name?"--Jesus knew our name before we did. Not only
does He know our name, He knows our address too. He knows our history
and future and He even knows how many hairs are on our heads.
Santa has a belly like a bowl full of jelly--Jesus has a heart full of love.
All Santa can offer is "Ho, Ho, Ho!"--Jesus offers health, help and hope.
Santa says, "You better not cry"--Jesus says, "Cast all your cares on Me for I care for you."
Santa’s little helpers make toys--Jesus makes new life, mends wounded
hearts, repairs broken homes and builds mansions.
Santa may make you chuckle--Jesus gives you joy that is your strength.
Santa puts gifts under your tree--Jesus became our gift and died on a tree.
It’s obvious there is really no comparison. Yes, Jesus is better. He is even better than Santa Claus.
--Author unknown
Seriously, the glory of Christmas is found in the surpassing glory of the one whose birth we remember. We begin the journey to heaven when come to recognize that it is in Christ alone that we see God. “There is no other name under heaven, given among men, by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).
4. The Glory of Christmas is Seeing/Visible Glory {18} No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father’s side, has made him known." Here is the great glory of Christmas. The invisible God made himself visible. What we could not know, he showed us. Later John would reemphasize this same truth in the beginning of his first letter: (1 John 1:1-3) "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched--this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. {2} The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. {3} We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.”
Recently my five year old grand daughter (the prettiest and brightest 5 year old girl in the universe, I might add) was having a serious theological discussion with her mother as they were riding across town. Out of the blue, Morgan asked what God looked like. Our daughter Angella explained that no one knew. Did he have hands and feet like we do? Morgan queried. She really wanted to know. [She was almost like the little boy in the Sunday School class who, during coloring time, announced he was going to draw a picture of God. “But no one knows what God looks like,” the teacher responded. To which he replied, “They will when I get done!”
Angella persisted in trying to answer a five year old’s question and at the same time provide sound truth. Finally, she said that when we get to heaven we will see God and then we will know what he looks like. Morgan pondered that for a moment and then explained, “Grandpa Hostetler knows what God looks like, doesn’t he.” Great Grandpa Hostetler had just passed away a few months before. “He sure does,” our daughter agreed. “And Grandpa Feese” she added. This was Rose’s dad who passed away a few years ago. “And Grandma Thomas” referring to my mother who passed away in 1997. Morgan’s eyes got great big. Her face registered a huge surprise and said, “Grandma Thomas is in heaven.” “Yes,” our daughter acknowledged, not realizing that Morgan didn’t quite have the differences between Great Grandmas and Grandmas down yet. Quickly Morgan responded, “I thought Grandma Thomas (my wife Rose) was in Missouri!”
Here lies the great glory of Christmas. God has made himself known. He took up the form of a man and showed us what he like. Not so much his outward form, but his inward character. Through Jesus’ teachings, his example, his miracles, and never ending grace, he made the glory of God visible. The writer of Hebrews put it this way, (Heb 1:3) "The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven." Or listen to the way Paul explains the glory of Christ in Colossians 1:15-20: "He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. {16} For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. {17} He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. {18} And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. {19} For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, {20} and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross."
Conclusion: The word glory has another special meaning—the future that awaits us. Our future is described in terms of sharing in God’s glory: (Rom 5:2) "through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God." (Rom 8:17-18) "Now if we are children, then we are heirs--heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. {18} I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us." (2 Cor 4:17) "For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all."
I am told that in Italy there is a particularly striking cathedral. On the high vaulted ceiling of the sanctuary is a beautiful painting depicting the glories of heaven. Thousands come each year just to see the painting. There is one problem. The ceiling is so high in comparison to the size of the room that it is very difficult to gaze at the painting for long. Someone, however, years ago devised a solution. In the center of the sanctuary floor, the installed a huge mirror. To view the glory above one merely had to look down. The same is true of the real heaven. To see it you must look down—at the Christ! Are your eyes fixed on glory!
***Dr. Roger W. Thomas is the preaching minister at First Christian Church, 205 W. Park St., Vandalia, MO 63382 and an adjunct professor of Bible and Preaching at Central Christian College, 911 E. Urbandale, Moberly, MO. He is a graduate of Lincoln Christian College (BA) and Lincoln Christian Seminary (MA, MDiv), and Northern Baptist Theological Seminary (DMin).
