Taste, Treasure, Tell
”And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart.“ (Luke 2:17-19)
In response to the good news of great joy that a Savior was born, who is Christ the Lord, Luke records that suddenly a multitude of heavenly beings appeared praising God saying: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” (Luke 2:14)
Not only did the glorious splendor of the Lord shine around the shepherds to attest to the birth of the savior of the world, an army of heavenly beings joined in. These angels knew the glory of God. But they saw another aspect of God’s glory that they must praise God for; God the Son took on flesh, took on the limitations of man, to save sinners so that man could know peace and so that the humble can receive His favor and be reconciled to God.
Beloved, if the angels had reason to praise God, how much more do we who are the benefactors of God’s saving grace in Christ. In an article, Tim Challies wrote: “I heard someone say recently: 'The music at that church is great.' It didn’t take me long to understand what he meant—that the church has a great music program. But I’ve long-since made this observation: some churches have bands that perform beautifully but congregations who can’t or won’t sing. I am convinced that the best measure of a church’s music is not what takes place on the stage, but what takes place in the pews. It is not so much the sounds and sights of a band leading, but the sounds and sights of a congregation worshipping. A church with a truly great music program is the one that could worship just as well on the day the power goes out and the instruments won’t play. A church with a truly great music program is the one that generates far more sound from its raw voices than its amplified instruments. A church with a truly great music program is the one where the people sing—they really sing.”
After encountering the shining brilliance of the glory of the Lord and hearing the revelation of the good news from angelic beings, it moved the shepherds to want to see the Christ-child for themselves. And after beholding the King of glory lying in a manger, "they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child.”
God became flesh to dwell among us so that we can taste, treasure, and tell of the riches of His glory and grace. Having encountered the glory of the Lord, the shepherds not only wanted to know more and see more, they had to go and tell others of what they had seen and heard. This is the mark of true worship.
True worship is not singing. We sing because we are gripped by the glory, the eyes of our hearts have been opened to behold and treasure the glory of Christ. What we treasure above all is what we worship. What’s more, the glory of Christ should not only move us to sing His praise but live our lives to the praise of His glory and grace. And this grace is too good to keep to ourselves.
The shepherds saw the physical glory of Jesus, but today believers through the Spirit can know the glory of Christ shinning in their hearts. As Paul explained in 2 Corinthians 4:7: “For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”
While telling others of the glory they encountered, Luke adds: “And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart.” (Luke 2:18-19)
There seems to be a contrast between all who heard the witness of the shepherds and Mary. Whereas the people they spoke to seemed to be amazed by what they heard in the moment, Mary treasured all that she saw and heard and pondered it in her heart. That is, she cherished what she heard “and retained it in the inmost recesses of her being.” -Morris
Believers who shine for Christ in this dark world don’t leave church thinking about how great the music or preacher was, they leave treasuring Christ and they continue pondering in their hearts the glories of Christ. In his classic work, the pursuit of God, A.W. Tozer wrote: “To have found God and still to pursue Him is the soul’s paradox of love.” Later he added: “What we think about when we are free to think about what we will – that is what we are or will soon become.”
O let us continually gaze upon the light of Christ’s glory as we immerse ourselves in the prayerful reading, studying, and teaching of God’s word. Let us do so not to simply gain good theology, but to treasure the glory of Christ—a glory that will both satisfy the inner recesses of our souls and will send us out on mission to know Christ and to make Him known.
Merry Christmas,
Pastor Marco
In response to the good news of great joy that a Savior was born, who is Christ the Lord, Luke records that suddenly a multitude of heavenly beings appeared praising God saying: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” (Luke 2:14)
Not only did the glorious splendor of the Lord shine around the shepherds to attest to the birth of the savior of the world, an army of heavenly beings joined in. These angels knew the glory of God. But they saw another aspect of God’s glory that they must praise God for; God the Son took on flesh, took on the limitations of man, to save sinners so that man could know peace and so that the humble can receive His favor and be reconciled to God.
Beloved, if the angels had reason to praise God, how much more do we who are the benefactors of God’s saving grace in Christ. In an article, Tim Challies wrote: “I heard someone say recently: 'The music at that church is great.' It didn’t take me long to understand what he meant—that the church has a great music program. But I’ve long-since made this observation: some churches have bands that perform beautifully but congregations who can’t or won’t sing. I am convinced that the best measure of a church’s music is not what takes place on the stage, but what takes place in the pews. It is not so much the sounds and sights of a band leading, but the sounds and sights of a congregation worshipping. A church with a truly great music program is the one that could worship just as well on the day the power goes out and the instruments won’t play. A church with a truly great music program is the one that generates far more sound from its raw voices than its amplified instruments. A church with a truly great music program is the one where the people sing—they really sing.”
After encountering the shining brilliance of the glory of the Lord and hearing the revelation of the good news from angelic beings, it moved the shepherds to want to see the Christ-child for themselves. And after beholding the King of glory lying in a manger, "they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child.”
God became flesh to dwell among us so that we can taste, treasure, and tell of the riches of His glory and grace. Having encountered the glory of the Lord, the shepherds not only wanted to know more and see more, they had to go and tell others of what they had seen and heard. This is the mark of true worship.
True worship is not singing. We sing because we are gripped by the glory, the eyes of our hearts have been opened to behold and treasure the glory of Christ. What we treasure above all is what we worship. What’s more, the glory of Christ should not only move us to sing His praise but live our lives to the praise of His glory and grace. And this grace is too good to keep to ourselves.
The shepherds saw the physical glory of Jesus, but today believers through the Spirit can know the glory of Christ shinning in their hearts. As Paul explained in 2 Corinthians 4:7: “For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”
While telling others of the glory they encountered, Luke adds: “And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart.” (Luke 2:18-19)
There seems to be a contrast between all who heard the witness of the shepherds and Mary. Whereas the people they spoke to seemed to be amazed by what they heard in the moment, Mary treasured all that she saw and heard and pondered it in her heart. That is, she cherished what she heard “and retained it in the inmost recesses of her being.” -Morris
Believers who shine for Christ in this dark world don’t leave church thinking about how great the music or preacher was, they leave treasuring Christ and they continue pondering in their hearts the glories of Christ. In his classic work, the pursuit of God, A.W. Tozer wrote: “To have found God and still to pursue Him is the soul’s paradox of love.” Later he added: “What we think about when we are free to think about what we will – that is what we are or will soon become.”
O let us continually gaze upon the light of Christ’s glory as we immerse ourselves in the prayerful reading, studying, and teaching of God’s word. Let us do so not to simply gain good theology, but to treasure the glory of Christ—a glory that will both satisfy the inner recesses of our souls and will send us out on mission to know Christ and to make Him known.
Merry Christmas,
Pastor Marco