Sermon - Christmas Day 2022 - John 1:1-18

The Nativity, Zanobi Strozzi, circa 1433-1434

The Glory of the Lord

1. The glory of the Lord dwelt in the tabernacle/temple until the exile

2. The fullness of God’s glory now dwells in Christ

3. The glory of the Lord abides with us today, full of grace and truth.

Merry Christmas! “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” The Glory of the Lord dwelt in the tabernacle and temple until the Israelites were exiled to Babylon. But when Christ became man, the fullness of God’s glory once again dwelt among us. Through Jesus the glory of the Lord still abides with us today, full of grace and truth. 

God’s glory among us is a profound thought, but to understand it, we must first know what God’s glory is. The glory of the Lord is the presence of God’s almighty nature or essence made manifest in a particular location. The Old Testament Hebrew word for glory was cavode, which in part means heavy. So a cavode man, might be a rich or powerful man. To refer to God’s heaviness, His glory, is like referring to His gravitas, His mighty presence or significant import of His being.

That’s all kind of heady, I know, so to give a human example, when a kid is getting picked on or bullied by some older kids, and that kid’s father walks into the room, the father has great gravitas at that moment. Instantly the bullies cower in fear, probably running away, and the father’s child feels a great sense of relief that rescue has arrived in the form of dad. Before the father even speaks, chases away the bullies, or picks up his child, his glory fills the room and changes hearts simply by being present. It’s a similar thing with God’s glory, except to a much greater extent!

God’s glory is awe invoking, since in the same breath it strikes terror and comfort. When the Israelites were led out of Egypt, the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud and pillar of fire. Upon Mt. Sinai the glory of the Lord appeared like a devouring fire, and any who so much as touched the mountain died. In time, God commanded that a moveable house be made for Him to dwell among man, so the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle, a very ornate tent. Not even Moses could enter the tabernacle when the glory of the Lord filled it. When God did speak with Moses his face would shine, reflecting God’s glory, and the people were struck with such terror that they required him to wear a veil to hide God’s glory. Some time later, king Solomon built a permanent place for God’s glory to reside: the temple. Only the priests could enter the temple, after offering sacrifices for themselves. Within the temple God’s glory dwelt particularly in the holy of holies, a place which only the high priest could enter once a year. Even then they tied a rope around the high priest just in case he died so that they could pull him out without entering.

Throughout the Old Testament, the life of the Israelites followed behind and centered around the glory of the Lord dwelling among them, whether in a pillar of fire, the tabernacle, or the temple. The Israelites lived in close proximity to the glory of the Lord since He was their protector and provider. However, when the Israelites abandoned the Lord, God handed the Israelites over to the Babylonians, but even worse: the glory of the Lord went out of the temple. Even when the temple was later rebuilt the glory of the Lord did not return.

Nevertheless the Lord spoke through the prophet Haggai: “My Spirit remains in your midst. Fear not. For thus says the LORD of hosts: Yet once more, in a little while, I will shake the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land. And I will shake all nations, so that the treasures of all nations shall come in, and I will fill this house with glory, says the LORD of hosts… The latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former, says the LORD of hosts. And in this place I will give peace, declares the LORD of hosts.’”

That prophecy pointed to Jesus! John said: “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” The fullness of God’s glory dwells in Christ, the Word made flesh! This is incredible, the word John uses for dwelt is the same word that means tabernacle! The Word became flesh and tabernacled among us! The same glory of the Lord which previously was only in the pillar of fire, tabernacle, and temple, separated from man, now dwells among man in the person of Jesus!

Previously very very few could ever come near to the glory of the Lord without being struck dead instantly. But now the glory of the Lord isn’t kept separate from the people, but the glory of the Lord came to dwell among the people. “The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.” Through Jesus the glory of the Lord has come to all people who receive Him by faith. 

The Old Testament priests of a certain lineage had to be cleansed by bloody sacrifice in order to approach God’s glory. But now in the New Testament, God cleanses us ordinary people, through His bloody sacrifice on the cross, so that we may be made His children and brought into His glory. Thus, two people of low estate, Joseph and Mary, beheld the glory of the Lord in their arms! The lowly shepherds working the night shift were the very next people to behold the glory of the Lord! In fact everywhere Jesus went the glory of the Lord was dwelling among the people, almost all of whom didn’t even realize God’s glory had returned. Whether Jesus was in the temple, in the home, on the street, or in a boat, for the first time ever the glory of the Lord dwelt among His people.

Therefore the good news of great joy that we celebrate on Christmas is that God’s glory continues to abide among us, in our own day, full of grace and truth! “For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” When Jesus ascended to heaven after His resurrection, His glory didn’t leave us, since He continues to abide among us. God’s glory hasn’t left us this time, He is still with us, and from His fullness we have received grace upon grace.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Through the Word God’s glory abides among us. Maybe it seems like nothing special, but the Word holds God’s glory in our midst. The scripture says that Jesus was wrapped in swaddling cloths, so basically a receiving blanket and a diaper. Those swaddling cloths seem mundane, yet within them rests the glory of the Lord! So too the Word of God may seem mundane, yet wrapped within rests the glory of the Lord!

Here in this sanctuary, God’s holy house, where His holy Word and holy Sacraments are given to His holy people, we dwell in the midst of God’s glory! God’s mighty presence, the significant import of His being, His gravitas, dwells among us in this place. Prior to that first Christmas God’s glory mostly just struck fear into God’s people. Now that we live in a perpetual Christmas, the glory of the Lord still fills us with holy fear and reverence, but it also fills us with the comfort and joy of the eternal salvation He has come to bring us! His glory delivers us grace upon grace!

“When the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” 

In just a moment we will sing: “My heart for very joy must leap; my lips no more can silence keep. I, too, must sing with joyful tongue that sweetest ancient cradle song: Glory to God in highest heaven, who unto us His Son has given.” Merry Christmas and happy new year!