Merry Christmas to one and all!

 There are some great Christmas scenes in the movies. You think of It’s A Wonderful Life, with George Bailey running through the snow, waving his arms around, broke and happy as a clam. Or there’s that marvelous moment in A Christmas Story (which is shown for 24 straight hours on TBS every year) where the dogs break into the house, steal the holiday turkey, and the whole family goes out for Chinese!

“After this I heard what sounded like the roar of a great multitude in heaven shouting: “Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God.” – Revelation 19:1

Have you ever been on a long a journey with a great destination at the end? You know, one of those long journeys that are more than just a few hours in the car. Maybe you’ve flown across an ocean to a foreign country? Or maybe you’ve driven more than twelve hours to go on vacation or a mission trip? While long journeys can be boring and challenging, knowing the incredible destination at the end of your journey makes all the difference.

Think about this quote as you go through your day.

“The created universe is all about glory. The deepest longing of the human heart and the deepest meaning of heaven and earth are summed up in this: the glory of God. The universe was made to show it, and we were made to see it and savor it. Nothing less will do. Which is why the world is as disordered and dysfunctional as it is. We have exchanged the glory of God for other things.” – John Piper

“Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me, for in you my soul takes refuge. I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings until the disaster has passed . . . Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let your glory be over all the earth.” – Psalms 57:1 & 5

David wrote the Psalms in different stages of his life. These poetic songs were utilized in worship many centuries ago. And yet they connect deeply with us today.

As you read this psalm, you’ll see the struggle and pain David is walking through. In the first verse he simply comes to God telling of an impending disaster in his life. But what David does next is an example to us when we face struggles of our own.

“Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let your glory be over all the earth.”

“For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” – Ephesians 2:10

Have you been to a famous art gallery? Behind every work of art is a creator with a plan for what the masterpiece should look like. Most works of art take months or even years to create as the artist pays attention to every small detail. At the end of the creation, the artist will carefully add his or her mark or signature to authenticate the work.

We began a new series for our High School students this past Wednesday night, “Elements – God’s Glory.”  We started our series by defining glory.  Each day for the next week we are going to post a daily devotion to help with that study and get us ready for the next one.  Here is Day 1.

“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.” – Psalm 19:1-4