In the past, God spoke through the prophets to our ancestors in many times and many ways. In these final days, though, he spoke to us through a Son. God made his Son the heir of everything and created the world through him. The Son is the light of Gods’ glory and the imprint of God’s being. —Hebrews 1:1-3a
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In a season of darkness, the light of God’s glory radiates from a manger.
At first glance, this cannot be right. Upon his birth, shouldn’t this “Heir of Everything through Whom All Worlds Were Created” have a higher place of honor than a lowly feeding trough? Doesn’t the list of all things created through him include gold towers, ivory palaces, judgment halls, and lavish resorts? Shouldn’t he have his pick of the lot?
But that’s really not our Christmas story, is it?
Because the list of all things created through him also includes a manger scene—complete with an unmarried mama, a daydreaming daddy, a refugee family, a troubled city, and a captive nation under the thumb of an unrighteous king.
In a season of darkness, the light of God’s glory radiates from a manger.
Remarkably, this is right. This is our story: that for all the places created through him, the Son of God is to be found among the least of these.
What a condemnation. Throughout the rest of the year, it’s the gold towers, ivory palaces, judgment halls, and lavish resorts that impress us and convict us and compel us to put our trust in them, cast our vote for them, and place our faith in them.
And what hope. In a season of darkness, the light of God’s glory radiates from a manger. In this season of darkness, we have this story, and there is no shortage of manger scenes among us. Come, Lord Jesus.
Drew Willson