God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son.
Hebrews 1:1–2
Jesus is the radiance of the glory of God. Some may ask, “How is that so?” Well, he is the satisfaction of anticipation in the Old Testament and the continuation of God’s self-revelation in the New Testament. “In these last days” God has spoken through his Son and the Son has the final word.
In ancient times it was tradition to give the first-born son a significant inheritance. Consistently and climactically, God appointed Jesus “the firstborn of all creation” (Col. 1:15) and “heir of all things” (Heb. 1:2). John 1:3 adds that, “All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.” So, Jesus Christ is the creator and owner of everything!
It is wondrous to think how Mary must have felt holding her Lord in her arms at his birth, treasuring and pondering all these things in her heart (Luke 2:19). Or how Joseph must have felt seeing the many shepherds show up at the birthplace of Jesus (2:8–21), verifying that he was the Saviour as the angel had spoken to him (1:18–25).
When driving in the northern parts of Canada, Inukshuk figures are a familiar sight. The Inuit and other First Nations people have been creating these impressive stone markers for generations. Although they can represent many meanings, the word Inukshuk means “in the likeness of a human”—inuk meaning “person” and suk, “substitute.”
As Christians, we believe that Jesus came not just in the likeness of a human, but as a person, fully God and fully human, to be our substitute. Jesus is the radiance of the glory of God because he came as our substitute and “suffered once for our sins, the righteous for the unrighteous” (1 Pet. 3:18), offering eternal life to all who believe in him for it. Jesus is the exact representation of God and his perfect plan of redemption: the promise of salvation. Nothing can be more glorious than this!
God holds the universe together by the power of his word. Jesus is the Word (John 1:1) and we are part of the universe he sustains (Heb. 1:3). Not only can he hold all things in his hands but, for those who believe, he savingly holds them in his hands too. Jesus is the “Light of the world” (John 8:12). He is radiant because he is the only Saviour born to us, the one who offered “purification for sins” to reconcile sinners to our holy God. This is why he was born and willingly went to the cross for us.
God in heaven, we praise you for your power—power to create and to sustain, power to save and to keep. May our awe of your greatness be refreshed this season.
Penelope Jane Jolin
* Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from the New American Standard Bible, ©The Lockman Foundation, 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1995. Used by permission.
** The above was taken from Glory to God in the Highest: A Christmas Devotional (Oakville: Proclamation, 2024).
By job title, Alice is the office administrator at Oakridge. But her behind-the-scenes efforts go far beyond that! She is actively involved in the leadership team for the Tuesday evening women's bible study, she is on the mission committee, and she has recently both stepped into the leadership of church bridal and baby shower celebrations, and started teaching in our Ozone kids program. Oh, and if you see any special seasonal or holiday decorations around the church, it's a safe bet that Alice was involved!