"He Will Be My Son"

 

"The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word."

 

             When I am at the town square in Libertyville during this season I always notice at night the light display at the mayor's law office, which is quite spectacular and filled with lights zinging all over. And then, across the street, is a manger scene, with very little light on it, and it is quite a contrast.

            This is the contrast between Luke and Hebrews in presenting Jesus Christ to us. Luke presents the birth of Jesus in a very quiet and humble way. There we find Mary and Joseph in a dark stable; I don't know if there was any light at all. They have no friends with them. They are out of place. There is no room for them, no help. It is a very humble beginning for Jesus. The angels do not appear to them, they appear to shepherds some distance away. The glory of the Lord is not found at the manger. There is no bright star in their sight. It is the Magi who see the star. But the glory of the angels and the brightness of the star open this humble, dark scene to its greater meaning.

            Both the Gospel of John and the letter of Hebrews present a heavenly perspective, with more lights and glory. In Hebrews we learn that the Son is the radiance of God's glory, active in creation, and seated at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. The one born in humility and put to death on a cross is the Son of God, the heir of all things. This is all about seeing, to see the hand of God in the humility of the Son and to see the glory of God in the Son who is the heir of all things.  All of what we see in Christ points to salvation. Do not stop looking when you get to the angels, look beyond them to the salvation that comes through Christ. Do not turn away from the manger or the cross because you fear poverty or suffering. Look to where they are pointing, to the salvation of God.

            George Guthrie writes that Hebrews was written as a sermon to a church that was experiencing persecution and an increasingly blurred picture of Jesus. The sermon is about helping them to see Jesus again. It says that the Son is exalted, above the angels. It says that he came down among humanity to deliver us from sin. He was taken up into heaven and appointed High Priest, presenting a superior, heavenly offering.

            In Christ there is a new Word from God, a new revelation that is not fragmented and spoken by various people as it was when the prophets spoke. The word of God that came through Christ is whole and focused. Guthrie says that "the whole of the incarnation should be understood as communicating God's ultimate word to his new covenant people."

            The picture of Christ that is given in Hebrews is clear and well lit, a vision so grand it is difficult to describe adequately. The Son has been appointed heir of all things. Psalm 2:8: "Ask of me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession." This is the inheritance of Christ, the Son.

            It was through the Son that God created the universe. The one who saw it new in its beginning will be its Lord in the end. This Son is the radiance of God's glory. To see the Son is to see God's glory, God's presence. He is the exact representation of God's being. The Greek word is "character," referring to the impression made on coins. The nature of the Father is engraved upon the Son. So when you see Christ, when you see the Son, you see a true and trustworthy picture of the Father.

            Christ is the one who made purification for sins. Every year on the Day of Atonement, the High Priest would make an offering for the forgiveness of sin. But the offering of Christ brings a forgiveness that is permanent. This is the one who is at God's right hand, in the place of authority.

            This is the clear picture of Jesus. The sermon goes on in chapter 2, "We must pay the most careful attention to what we have heard." "How shall we escape if we ignore such a great salvation?" Are you able to see the Son? Are you able to see the glory of God and the humility of God? Are you able to welcome both in your life?

            II Corinthians 4:4 says, "The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the Gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God." The lights of this age seem to reveal a much narrower spectrum of vision. The lights of this age ignore humility. They look away from the manger and the cross. The humility of God does not fit into the pride of the world. The world finds distraction so it does not have to see Jesus as Mary saw him in manger and cross. They do not want to see Jesus as he really is.

            But the lights of this world also miss the glory of the Son. The world trains us to not look up. It substitutes other glories for the glory of God. So we are tempted to believe only what makes sense within the spectrum of the world's light, which ignores the humble and turns away from the glorious.

            But Christmas calls us to see, and in seeing, heals our sight. Christmas calls us to look beyond the brightness of the angels, to the radiance of the glory of God. Christmas calls us to embrace the humility of God, who dwells among us as Christ the Savior. For the Son is God with us, Immanuel. In him you find the love of God. Open your heart in faith, and see Jesus as he truly is.

            Amen.