Season of Preparation Day Twelve: God’s Glory

“ . . . and the glory of the Lord shone around them.” Luke 2:9

That holy night two thousand years ago brought the glory of the Lord to earth in a wonderous and powerful way for a band of lowly shepherds.

Most people who make their living working outdoors tending God’s creation, encounter his glory in the commonplace events of their everyday. Did the rising sun still awaken their souls with each new day? Did the fresh smell of a gentle rain wash away their suffering from another day of hard toil? Did the birth of a lamb birth hope in their hearts at the miracle of life? Or had they—like so many of us—grown numb to such things?

I don’t believe they were numb to any of it. I believe it was their keen awareness of his glory in the little things that prompted God to reveal his great glory to them that night.

I want to encounter God’s glory like the shepherds—in the minutia of my everyday and in the brilliance of his light.

There is something so beautiful in the scene with the shepherds. A peaceful (although maybe not quite quiet if you know anything about sheep) evening hillside beneath a night sky dazzling with stars, the fellowship of others, resting in the satisfaction of a day spent in honest labor.

A few weekends ago, we had a couple days of cold dreary weather . . . and the rarity of an open calendar. An unhurried rhythm settled over us. I spent the days reading good books in my favorite chair in front of the fire, while my husband headed to his shop to spend time creating, working with his heart and his hands to produce something beautiful. And in between we had hot tea and long talks. I felt the glory of the Lord in those two days.

What a gift from God that we don’t need to see a great light to experience his glory. I wonder how much I miss by being wrapped up in myself—my wants, desires, expectations, need for validation manifesting as an impossible to-do list. The shepherds left their flocks in the field. How often do I leave my work to spend time seeking see “this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us” (Luke 2:15)?

But if you’ve ever held a newborn baby then you know how everything else fades away as you nestle the precious infant in your arms and stare into his or her innocent face. Your heart swells with indescribable love. I do believe the quickest way to experience God’s glory is to hold a baby.

How much more so when I hold the baby Jesus.

This Christmas I want to experience God’s glory by holding the newborn Jesus so close to my heart that the things of this world disappear back into the realm of the unimportant. I don’t need a starry sky filled with heavenly hosts (though I’m not opposed). I only want Jesus Christ to draw me closer and to be the light for my way.

The glory of the Lord at its finest.