Monday 25th December
Read John 1:14
“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (NIVUK)
We think of ‘glory’ in terms of halo-like greatness, a lightness of being that puts everything in the shade. That is certainly one way to consider glory. But in John’s gospel we find that ‘glory’ is something revealed to those who have eyes to see. When Jesus performs His many signs they ‘reveal’ His glory. Those signs ultimately point to the cross where the true glory of God is fully and finally revealed. The echoes we hear of the Exodus and the redemption wrought by God on behalf of His people, to dwell amongst them, are fully and finally revealed in His goodness and mercy towards us on the cross.
When Paul quotes what was most likely an early Christian hymn he captures the true glory of the incarnation, in language incredibly close to John indeed!
“who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
7 rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
8 And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death –
even death on a cross!
9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:6-11) (NIVUK)
