Shekinah Glory
By Barbara Sisney Daniel
December 16 – Christmas cards arrive in the mail with greeting each year. The message of cheer and wishes for the Christmas season.
All sent with love from far away places. Each bringing memory of those from our past living and happy faces. Bringing to our mind when we were all young and time didn’t move so fast. We made sugar cookies in a warm kitchen with the sweet smell of vanilla and spices. The warmth from the fireplace, plans for Christmas dinner, wrapping gifts and hiding them from the children.
Christmas is about giving, and hope, faith and believing in Jesus. His birth was the start of the first Christmas day and the angels sang to the shepherds out in the field.
A bright star hung in the sky above a manger in Bethlehem. There God placed His undying love for man.
Wisemen had followed the new star for several days across the desert. They had seen the star they knew was to announce the birth of a King. The prophet Balsam was a Mesopotamian prophet. His prophesy “A star shall come out of Jacob” (Number 24:17) and Daniel’s prophesy referred to our Lord.
The Babylonian astrologers knew these prophesies. They studied the stars. When the new star appeared they packed and loaded their camels for a long journey. It was slow traveling. We can assume the star moved before them for they followed it. Not at high speed.
Some attempts have been made to explain the star in scientific terms. Comets, shooting stars or just about anything to explain away the supernatural acts of God.
I believe the star was the Shekinah Glory of God. The Shekinah Glory came to announce the virgin birth of Jesus the Son of God.
The angels came to earth that night to sing to shepherds in the fields, watching their sheep. These sheep were raised for sacrificial purpose for sin offerings. Jesus became our sin offering. The little lambs surrounding His manger where the baby lay represent the fact He became our sacrificial lamb. The word made flesh and dwelt among us.
As I study and see how each year Christmas becomes materialistic, I look at the lovely Christmas cards with love and respect for those who still believe that Christmas is God with us. He is giving. Christmas is children laughing and finding toys under the Christmas tree with the sweet fragrance of pine.. It is the faith to believe in our hearts in the Shekinah Glory of Christmas and God’s love came to earth in the baby Jesus.
“The word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14).
