And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” Luke 2:13-14
Many Christmas carols tell of the angels. The angels play a major role in the gospel of Luke. We will consider them more in upcoming weeks, but today let’s consider specifically what they meant when they said, “Glory to God in the highest!”
Wayne Grudem defines glory as “the superlative honor that should be given to God by everything in the universe.” That is a statement packed with meaning, but for those of you who want to explain this to children, let’s try to unpack what that means in words we can understand. Let me use three words.
Great: It is difficult to describe God, because he is so different than us, so beyond us in so many ways, but that’s what makes God great. He is God. He has existed forever, with no beginning and no end. He created, controls, and rules the universe, and nothing is too difficult for him to do.
Unique: There is no one else like God, no one else to compare God with. He is the only God, one of a kind in every single way imaginable.
Infinitely Valuable: If you were to think of the greatest amount of money you could, or the most valuable item ever made, it would not come close to the value and importance of God. His value is far beyond any comparison.
When we see God as this great, this unique, and this valuable, the response that we should have when we understand his nature is to give him glory. God gets the credit for who he is and what he has done. Giving God credit for the beauty and greatness of his numberless perfections is giving glory to God. Along with the angels, may we do that today.
I Commend Joy! 