Glory

An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. “ Luke 2:9

What do you think it looked like, the glory of the Lord that is?  Imagine being a shepherd so many years ago.  What did the night sky look like once the angel of the Lord came?  I’ve come to liken it with bright, fluorescent lights after seeing so many Christmas pageants.  But perhaps it was so much more.  What if the light was bright and glittery or if it wasn’t a light at all, yet a combination of colors displayed like a magnificent rainbow?  Whatever the case, it was magnificent.  Awesome.  And terrifying. 

As we conclude our study of Philippians at this most marvelous time of year, I can think of no better verse to finish on than Phil. 4:20: “To our God and Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen.”  What if we took the images of glory we just conjured up and gave them back to God.  After all, the old cliché tells us it’s better to give than to receive.  Now of course I’m not saying that we can create a glory equal to that of God’s, nor do I believe our praises can fuel the glory of God.  But what if we incorporated glory into next year’s resolutions?  What if we determined to give our God and Father glory for ever and ever, or, for starters, every day of 2011?  What might that look like in our lives?  In the lives of our loved ones?  Even in the lives of people we don’t even know yet or maybe never will.  As I think about all of us praising God glory while talking to a cashier, dentist, colleague or anyone else, I’m left with only one word.

Glory.