This year’s theme verse is Psalm 57:11, “Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens: let thy glory be above all the earth.” I chose the theme with a desire to fulfill the first question and answer of the Shorter Catechism, (Q) What is the chief end of man?  (A) Man's chief end is to glorify God and enjoy him forever.  We are familiar to this question and answer, though our understanding of the glory of God seems to be obscure.  Therefore, throughout this year, I’ll attempt to elaborate the biblical lessons of the glory of God. 

I’ll begin with the glory that surrounds the conception and birth of Jesus, because He is “… the brightness of his [God’s] glory, and the express image of his [God’s] person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high.”  If anyone ponders on the glory of God, He must think of Jesus Christ as John 1:18 teaches, “No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.”  We do not find detailed explanations of the virgin birth of Jesus Christ in the Bible, but the Scripture says that the Holy Spirit came upon Mary and “overshadowed” her (Luke 1:35).  We cannot explain “this overshadowing” in terms of biology.  However, “it is reminiscent … of the divine power and method of creation itself” (R. C. Sproul, The Glory of Christ, Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 1990, 30).  The act of divine creation demonstrates the power of bring something out of nothing.  Likewise, “the conception of a baby in the womb of Mary is a divine act of creation ex nihilo, out of nothing” (Ibid.).  Only God can perform this work. 

“The overshadowing” power of God over Mary reminds us of the original creation story in Genesis 1:2, “And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon acthe face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.”  The moving of the Spirit of God over the deep pulsated the universe.  As the Spirit of God overshadowed the deep and brought forth a created universe, so the same Spirit overshadowed a peasant virgin to conceive the Son of God.  Therefore, His conception and birth shine forth His glory. 

The naming of Jesus shines forth His glory, too.  The name, Jesus, means “God saves,” or more specifically as Matthew explains, ‘He will save His people from their sins.”  Though His incarnation is not glorious, but, rather, it is the beginning of His humiliation, there is also elements of glory.  Naming Him was not ordinary.  Matthew 1:20-21 says, “But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. ²¹ And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.” The name of Jesus was first uttered by an angel.  His earthly parents did not name Him, because the right of naming Him belonged only to God.  His conception and birth were unique, and Jesus is not the son from the union of Joseph and Mary.  Jesus is the “only begotten” of the Father (John 1:14).  Naming Jesus was more than an act of giving Him a name to be called but of revealing the purpose of His birth.  He was to be the Saviour of the world and to reveal God in the flesh.  His name, Jesus, shines shorth His glory.

The consecrating baby Jesus in the Temple could not but be glorious.  Luke 2:22-24, “And when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were accomplished, they brought him to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord; ²³ (As it is written in the law of the Lord, Every male that openeth the womb shall be called holy to the Lord;) ²⁴ And to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of the Lord, A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.”  Joseph and Mary brought to Jesus to Jerusalem to consecrated Him to the Lord by offering Him their purification according to the Law of Moses.  They offered a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.  This was a purification offering prescribed for poverty-stricken parents.  When the couple could not offer a lamb, they could substitute two turtledoves or two pigeons – one for burnt offering and one for sin offering.  Leviticus 12:8 says, “And if she be not able to bring a lamb, then she shall bring two turtles, or two young pigeons; the one for the burnt offering, and the other for a sin offering: and the priest shall make an atonement for her, and she shall be clean.”  Thus, the legal requirement concerning His birth was fulfilled, which was only the beginning of the full displays of His perfect obedience to the laws of God.  He is glorious because He has fulfilled all the laws. 

His glory is testified by the saints.  Probably, the first person I could think of from a long list of the saints in the Bible is Simeon who met the Lord in the Temple.  Luke 2:25-32, “And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him. ²⁶ And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. ²⁷ And he came by the Spirit into the temple: and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the law, ²⁸ Then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said, ²⁹ Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word: ³⁰ For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, ³¹ Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people; ³² A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.”

Simeon is a man whose character was marked by steadfast faith, perseverance, and virtues.  We must be reminded that he lived in a period of Jewish history characterized by the silence of God.  Nearly four hundred years, God kept silence till Jesus was born, and there was no revelation to His people from Him.  Because of this, many parts of Jewish religions were disformed and disfigured.  The Jews were confined to spiritual darkness, and when the light came to them, they could not see it.  During such a time, Simeon waited for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit came upon Him.  Simeon received a special revelation from God in which he was told he would not die until he saw the Messiah.  When Mary and Joseph came to the Temple with baby Jesus, he sang a song often known by its first Latin words, Nune Dimittis, “Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word: ³⁰ For mine eyes have seen thy salvation.”  As for Simeon, it was not a moment of dreadful death but of supreme glory.  His eyes just saw the fulfillment of God’s promises.  Simeon’s song was a celebration of unspeakable joy.  He had seen Christ, Saviour of His people and Gentiles.  He saw the incarnated God.  Simeon must have died as a contented man, a most blessed man.  He ends his words in verse 32, “the glory of thy people Israel.”  Jesus is the glory!  He is the glory to us, too!

Lovingly, Your Pastor

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