"The Radiance of God's Glory" by Lisa Shoemaker
“The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven” (Hebrews 1:3).
Here we are in the third week of Advent, clamoring for more time, fewer interruptions, and, well—some peace.
I’m sure that many of you, as well as myself, have found that peace often comes when we can lift ourselves out of the ordinary and journey to a place where we revel in something much bigger than ourselves. The writer of Hebrews seems to be leading his readers to do just that. Like the early Jewish followers of Christ, when we can focus on the radiance, glory, and power of the Christ, then life becomes a bit more tolerable, a bit grander, and a great deal more peaceful. To the early Christians who were becoming complacent about the message of the gospel, a look at God through his Son could have changed their perspective.
This past year has indeed given us all reasons to become less confident and more fearful of the future, but this is Christmas, for crying out loud. It’s the time of year when we consciously should be deciding not to be divisive or pessimistic. Instead, I am choosing to embrace the peace that comes with stepping out of my ordinary self, my ordinary routine, and my ordinary way of looking at life.
As I compose this piece, I have no idea what Advent will look like at 2BC. Will we enjoy the music of choirs or a combined orchestra? Will we be sitting in our beautiful sanctuary that is decked with greenery and candles? Will we be enjoying the physical closeness of hugs and handshakes? Alas, probably not.
No matter what Advent looks like in 2020, I choose to bask in the peace that Christmas promises when we can all see God through Jesus Christ, “the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being . . . “ (NIV).
Lisa Shoemaker