And behold, an angel of
the Lord stood before them,
and the glory of the Lord
shone around them, and
they were greatly afraid.
Luke 2:9
Adult Devotions …
What does God look like?
Hmmm.
Well, one of the ways to answer this is that he shines! (Or more accurately, his glory shines!)
The ancient rabbis coined a term to describe a certain kind of godly shining. It was shekinah, and it referred to a particular kind of glory. The literal meaning of this word is “he caused to dwell,” and this kind of glory generally occurred when God was nearest his people. Let me give you a few examples …
· When God was right with his people, leading them with a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night, that was first scriptural mention of his shekinah glory.
· In the wilderness, God commanded Israel to the build a Tabernacle, a dwelling place for the Lord to meet his people, and the shekinah glory was there because God caused his presence to dwell there.
· After Moses met with God on Mt. Sinai, he came down the mountain and his face was glowing. In Moses’ face was a reflection of the shekinah glory that Moses encountered when he dwelt with God on the mountain.
· In the New Testament, Peter, James, and John saw a reflection of the Son of God’s shekinah glory when Jesus was transfigured.
The Gospel of John begins with these words – John 1:14 -- And the [Jesus-the-]Word became flesh and (here’s that word again) dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, the [shekinah] glory as of a father’s only son.” That’s the Christmas story in the Gospel of John.
In the Christmas story in the Gospel of Luke, there’s still more shining going on! Today’s verse says that when “an angel of the Lord stood before the[ shepherds] … the glory of the Lord shone around them.” Notice … it wasn’t the glory of the angels that was shining. Like Moses’ who came down a mountain with his face shining because he’d been in the presence of the Lord, this verse seems to say that when angels come down from heaven, they shine because they’ve been in the presence of the Lord!
In other words, created creatures – whether people or angels – don’t shine on our own. Only God shines because he is light and in him there is no darkness at all!
For the last several days, we’ve been thinking apocalyptic, end-times thoughts. Just a day or two I referenced Revelation 4. The heart of this chapter is a picture of Heaven and of God upon his throne. Pay attention to just a bit of this, and ponder if even a created creature might glow after encountering this glory that is God …
2 There in heaven stood a throne …! 3 And the one seated there looks like jasper and carnelian, and around the throne is a rainbow that looks like an emerald. 4 Around the throne are … twenty-four elders, dressed in white robes, with golden crowns on their heads. 5 Coming from the throne are flashes of lightning, and rumblings and peals of thunder, and in front of the throne burn seven flaming torches, which are the seven spirits of God; 6 and in front of the throne there is something like a sea of glass, like crystal.
Around the throne, and on each side of the throne, are four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind: 7 the first living creature like a lion, the second living creature like an ox, the third living creature with a face like a human face, and the fourth living creature like a flying eagle. 8 … Day and night without ceasing they sing,
“Holy, holy, holy,
the Lord God the Almighty,
who was and is and is to come.”
9 And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to the one who is seated on the throne …, 10 the twenty-four elders fall … and worship the one who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, singing,
11 “You are worthy, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
and by your will they existed and were created.”
Is your heart bowing?! Singing?! And what do you think … Might you and I shine – even a little – if and when we strive to stand in the presence of the Lord?
In Christ’s Love,
a guy who glows
… and hopefully not just
because I used to work
a nuclear fuel inspector
Children’s Message …
What does God look like?
Hmmm?
Well, one of the ways to answer this is that he shines! (Or more accurately, his glory shines!)
The ancient rabbis coined a term to describe a certain kind of godly shining. It was shekinah, and it referred to a particular kind of glory. The literal meaning of this word is “he caused to dwell,” and this kind of glory generally occurred when God was nearest his people. Let me give you a few examples …
· When God was right with his people, leading them with a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night, that was first scriptural mention of his shekinah glory.
· In the wilderness, God commanded Israel to the build a Tabernacle, a dwelling place for the Lord to meet his people, and the shekinah glory was there because God caused his presence to dwell there.
· After Moses met with God on Mt. Sinai, he came down the mountain and his face was glowing. In Moses’ face was a reflection of the shekinah glory that Moses encountered when he dwelt with God on the mountain.
· In the New Testament, Peter, James, and John saw a reflection of the Son of God’s shekinah glory when Jesus was transfigured.
The Gospel of John begins with these words – John 1:14 -- And the [Jesus-the-]Word became flesh and (here’s that word again) dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, the [shekinah] glory as of a father’s only son.” That’s the Christmas story in the Gospel of John.
In the Christmas story in the Gospel of Luke, there’s still more shining going on! Today’s verse says that when “an angel of the Lord stood before the[ shepherds] … the glory of the Lord shone around them.” Notice … it wasn’t the glory of the angels that was shining. Like Moses’ who came down a mountain with his face shining because he’d been in the presence of the Lord, this verse seems to say that when angels come down from heaven, they shine because they’ve been in the presence of the Lord!
In other words, created creatures – whether people or angels – don’t shine on our own. Only God shines because he is light and in him there is no darkness at all!
For the last several days, we’ve been thinking apocalyptic, end-times thoughts. Just a day or two I referenced Revelation 4. The heart of this chapter is a picture of Heaven and of God upon his throne. Pay attention to just a bit of this, and ponder if even a created creature might glow after encountering this glory that is God …
So what do you think … might you and I shine – even a little – if and when we strive to stand in the presence of the Lord?
Discussion Questions …
1. When you think of God, what do you think he looks like?
2. Why do you think God’s presence might be described a light?
3. In our own lives, might you and I shine – even a little – if and when we strive to stand in the presence of the Lord?
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