'And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid' (Luke 2:8)
The story of our Lord's incarnation is so familiar to us that it can be very easy to lose the wonder of it all. In the run up to Christmas we are surrounded by nativity scenes, cards, carols and many other reminders of Christ's birth. Shepherds, wise men, angels, a star in the east, a manger and the town of Bethlehem are so well known that we can quickly forget the miraculous nature of what happened 2000 years ago. One such element of the story of our Lord's birth which we can take for granted is that instance where the angel of the Lord appeared unto the shepherds. It is something which does not surprise us for we are so familiar with it, yet for the shepherds in the hills outside Bethlehem that night it would have been the most unexpected and awe inspiring moment of their lives. Never would they forget the night that the heavens were filled with a heavenly host of angels praising the name of God. It is in Luke 2, where we read of this event, that we find a little phrase which sums up all that is concerned with the birth of our Saviour; 'the glory of the Lord'. There are three things to consider about his phrase:
