A Spectacle Of Glory #358

Read: Luke 2:8-15

Ken and I were keeping a holiday tradition by having a special dinner at an elegant restaurant. The tables were set with crystal, linens, silver, and candlelight. As we savored our meal, carolers dressed Victorian style—like a quartet out of a Dickens novel—came to our table. When they asked for a favorite carol, I requested, “Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming.” They looked surprised, but I could tell they loved singing all its harmonies.

This song pulls mysteriously on my heart, bidding me to go beyond, to “step into the other side” of Christmas—like an inkling, a hint, a whisper, of an even greater celebration yet to happen. Christmas is still a promise. Yes, the Savior has come, but the story isn’t finished. Peace is in our hearts, but we long for peace in our world. Soon, though, the Rose of Sharon will return and with Him all the fragrance and joy of a longing fulfilled.

Lord, the glory and radiance of the angelic choir the shepherds witnessed that first Christmas night were just pinpricks from heaven into our dark world. If I had been there, I would have remembered it all my days. But in Your unspeakable grace, Jesus, I will see greater glory than this in the bright morning of eternity.