EMMANUEL: GOD WITH US | Pastor Brian Carrier

Devotional

Day 1: Good News of Great Joy: Glory Breaks In

You may feel like those shepherds at night—on the margins, unsure, and sitting in the dark. Into that place, God’s glory doesn’t wait for you to climb higher; it simply breaks in and lights you up. This is not an earned light; it is God’s own being given freely, right where you are. His presence both steadies the heart in grief and quiets the fear that keeps you restless. You don’t have to manufacture splendor or chase recognition today. Receive the announcement that a Savior has come for you, even here, even now. [27:46]

Luke 2:8–14 — Late at night, shepherds were out with their flocks when an angel appeared and the brightness of the Lord surrounded them, and they were overwhelmed with fear. The messenger said, “I’m bringing you news that brings deep joy to everyone: today in David’s town a Rescuer has been born for you—he is the Messiah, the Lord. Here’s how you’ll know: you’ll find a baby wrapped up and lying in a feeding trough.” Suddenly a great crowd of heaven’s army showed up, praising God and saying that the highest honor belongs to God, and that his peace rests on people he chooses to bless.

Reflection: What is one concrete way you can let God’s unearned light meet a specific place of grief or pressure this week—perhaps a quiet pause at night to welcome his presence there?

Day 2: Lesser Glory and the Census of Comparison

Caesar Augustus called a census to measure assets and arrange the world, and we quietly do the same in our hearts. We line people up by wealth, degrees, titles, followers, accomplishments, and then check where we land. That census always collects taxes—taking joy from others (and ourselves) to build a fragile sense of worth. It pits us against people we should love and leaves us unstable when the order shifts. That is a lesser glory: splendor you must generate and recognition you must protect. There’s a better way than living at the top or sinking to the bottom of your own list. [15:46]

Luke 2:1–3 — Around that time, Caesar Augustus ordered the entire Roman world to be registered. This first registration happened while Quirinius was governing Syria. So everyone set out to be counted in their own hometowns.

Reflection: What “census” are you quietly running this week—résumé lines, income, influence, or likes—and how is it taxing your joy or your relationships?

Day 3: From Outside to Inside: Glory That Unites

In Bethlehem, there was no room in the house for Mary and Joseph, and the shepherds literally lived outdoors—outside the order everyone else fit into. God’s glory sought them out, and then sent them in to see Jesus; they found themselves doing on earth what angels do in heaven: glorifying and praising God. This glory doesn’t tax; it gathers. It turns outsiders into participants and competitors into companions who share amazement. As you notice and tell the stories of God’s work—in your home, group, or workplace—you help weave others into the center of praise. Glory that comes from God brings people together. [29:39]

Luke 2:15–20 — When the angels returned to heaven, the shepherds said, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see what the Lord has made known.” They hurried and found Mary, Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. After seeing him, they told what had been said about the child, and everyone who heard it was amazed. Mary treasured and kept turning these things over in her heart. The shepherds went back, giving God glory for all they had heard and seen—it was exactly as they were told.

Reflection: Who is “outside” in your world right now—perhaps a stay-at-home parent, a quiet teammate, or even you—and what small step could you take to move toward shared praise rather than comparison?

Day 4: Beholding and Becoming: Praising into Greater Glory

Greater glory grows as you look to God and praise him; contemplation shapes you. As you keep turning your gaze toward his beauty, the Spirit grows your weight, your steadiness, your likeness to Jesus. Even everyday practices—naming a “win,” celebrating another’s gift, or telling how God met you—help your heart bask in reflected glory that truly changes you. This is splendor you don’t manufacture and recognition you don’t have to steal. Let praise re-train your desires from scarcity and ranking to joy and generosity. You become what you behold. [33:20]

2 Corinthians 3:18 — With the veil removed, we keep looking toward the Lord’s beauty, and we are reshaped to mirror him, moving from one kind of brightness to another. This transforming work comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

Reflection: When you feel the pull to measure yourself this week, where could you deliberately turn to praise—naming one concrete way you see God’s goodness in someone else—and let that reorient your heart?

Day 5: Born to You: The Lord of Glory Made Low

The Lord of glory laid his glory by, stepping into our world without a place, wrapped in cloths and laid in a manger. He came down to your level—helpless as an infant, unnoticed by the census, fully with you. He did not cling to privilege; he poured himself out, and later took your shame so you could share his glory. It isn’t enough to just hear this; go and see him. Look on the One born for you, and let his nearness weigh more than any title you could earn. Recognition from Jesus—“for you”—is the weight your heart is made to carry. [37:59]

Philippians 2:6–8 — Though he shared the very nature of God, he did not grasp for status. Instead, he poured himself out, taking the role of a servant and becoming truly human—arriving as a child. He kept humbling himself in obedience, even to the point of dying on a cross.

Reflection: What would it look like for you to “go and see” Jesus this week in a tangible way—lingering in Luke 2, visiting someone overlooked, or serving unseen—and to receive afresh that he was born to you?

Sermon Summary

Luke’s Christmas account opens with a decree from Caesar Augustus and ends with shepherds singing, and tucked between those bookends is a clash of glories. I named the deep ache many of us feel: we “know” we want Jesus, but our desires are magnetized to gifts, achievement, image. To pull that honest gap into the light, I traced the theme of glory—what we chase, and what actually satisfies. Drawing on the idea of glory as splendor (excellence, beauty) plus recognition (being seen, celebrated), I showed how Augustus embodies a lesser, human glory: earned by effort, measured by assets, amplified by applause. His census is a symbol for how we’re always “ordering” the world—ranking, comparing, taxing others to add weight to ourselves.

But that path is corrosive. It pits us against one another, because my rise depends on your fall. It’s unstable, because rankings shift. And it leaves many outside—like the shepherds in the fields, nameless in the dark. Then heaven tears the night open. God’s glory does not arise from human accomplishment; it arrives as sheer gift. It floods the unimportant with light and draws the outsiders in. Notice what happens: the shepherds go from anonymity to participating in the very activity of heaven—praising God—then they are sent to speak, and their witness strengthens Mary herself. Unlike human glory, God’s glory unites rather than competes; it multiplies joy rather than taxing worth.

How do we live in this greater glory? Scripture says we’re transformed by beholding—by praising, contemplating, fixing our gaze on the Lord until we “bask in reflected glory.” But we need more than admiring splendor; we need recognition. The angel gives it: “A Savior has been born to you.” Go and see. When the shepherds arrive, they find the Lord of glory laid in a manger—on their level. At Christmas, the Omnipotent becomes helpless, the All-Knowing becomes wordless, the Clothed-in-light becomes naked. He casts aside glory to give it to us. When that lands—not just in our heads but in our hearts—we stop living by the census and start living by the song. We adore him, and in adoring, we become weighty with a glory that can’t be taken.

Key Takeaways

1. We chase lesser, earned glory. We build identity by achievement and applause, much like Augustus receiving honor for his exploits. Our inner “census” ranks people, assets, and titles so we can feel heavy with worth. But that system always taxes others to pay us, and it never rests. It’s glory on a treadmill. [12:58]
2. God’s glory breaks into darkness. The shepherds had no status, no place—then heaven’s radiance embraced them without qualification. Divine glory is not a paycheck; it’s presence that overwhelms grief, insignificance, and fear. When God’s weight rests on you, night does not vanish, but it is lit from within. [27:46]
3. Glory that unites, not competes. Human recognition is scarce and competitive; someone must lose for me to win. God’s recognition is abundant—he reveals himself to shepherds, then uses them to strengthen Mary and amaze others. Shared praise multiplies joy and knits a people together around the same center. [29:39]
4. Behold the One born to you. Admiring God’s splendor is not enough; you need to know it is for you. Go and see Jesus—his poverty, his manger, his likeness to your low place—and let his nearness name you. Recognition from the Lord of glory silences the census and anchors your worth. [36:21]
5. Practice praise to reflect glory. We become like what we behold; attention is spiritual formation. As we linger over who God is and how he acts, we “bask” in his radiance and are steadied by his weight. Praise is not garnish; it is the path by which desire is re-trained. [32:43]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:45] - Christmas story read from Luke 2
[03:38] - Why glory matters at Christmas
[05:02] - Splendor and recognition explained
[08:38] - The weight we want: significance
[10:23] - Lesser vs. greater glory
[11:20] - Augustus and the human census
[16:25] - How we rank and tax others
[22:59] - Shepherds: life on the outside
[24:21] - God’s glory breaks into darkness
[29:39] - Glory that unites, not divides
[32:43] - Beholding God transforms us
[35:43] - Born to you: make it personal
[38:22] - The Lord of glory laid low

Bible Study Guide

Bible reading
Luke 2:1-20

Observation questions

In Luke 2:1-7, what did Caesar’s decree set in motion, and how did the census practically impact Joseph and Mary (travel, timing, lodging)?
In Luke 2:8-12, who received heaven’s announcement, what exactly was announced, and what specific sign were they given to confirm the message?
In Luke 2:15-20, trace the shepherds’ actions step by step. What are the two different responses in the scene—what do “all who heard” do, and what does Mary do?
The title “Augustus” means “venerable, worthy, honored, exalted.” How is that kind of human honor displayed in the passage through the census, and how is it contrasted by the sign of a baby in a manger? “Augustus…means venerable, worthy, honored, exalted” [11:20]

Interpretation questions

What does it reveal about God’s heart that the first people to hear the good news are shepherds, with the sign being a baby laid in a manger “on their level”? How does this challenge how glory is usually measured—by rank, assets, and applause? “God’s glory…breaks in and completely lights them up” [27:25]
If glory is splendor plus recognition, why is recognition so crucial to the human heart? How does the angel’s word, “A Savior has been born to you,” answer that ache at a personal level? [35:43]
If humans are transformed by beholding, what kinds of praise and contemplation actually do that in real life? How might “basking in reflected glory” with God reshape identity over time? “They were praising and glorifying God” [32:43]
Why does earned, comparative glory tend to divide and exhaust, while God’s glory draws people in and multiplies joy? Where is that seen in the shepherds’ story? “God’s glory…unites rather than divides” [29:39]

Application questions

Where are you running your own “census” lately—ranking people (and yourself) by education, title, income, talent, influence, looks, or something else? What categories do you secretly use, and why those? “You are…constantly taking a census” [16:25]
Who feels like a threat or a rival to you right now? What would it look like this week to step out of competition and step into a posture that adds to their joy rather than taxing their worth? “It pits you against other people” [20:52]
If you feel outside or unseen (like the shepherds), what is one specific way you will “go and see” Jesus meeting you at your low place this week—Scripture, prayer, quiet, a walk, honest journaling, or visiting someone who is overlooked? “Go and see” [36:21]
Practice praise to reflect glory: which one habit will you try for seven days—sing a hymn each morning, pray a psalm aloud, take a 10-minute nature walk naming God’s splendor, or end each day by listing three ways you saw God? “The angels and shepherds were praising and glorifying God” [32:43]
Let this land personally: where do you most need to hear “to you” right now—your work, your family, your loneliness, your fears? What helps you actually receive that recognition from the Lord of glory? “A Savior has been born to you” [35:43]
Multiply joy: who will you encourage this week by naming a way you see God at work in them? How could your words knit community rather than compare resumes? “We…share ways that we’ve seen God at work…and it boosts all of our faith” [31:33]
Name one treadmill of earned glory you’re stuck on (achievement, image, applause). What concrete boundary or practice will help you step off—Sabbath from metrics, turning off a platform, saying no to a prestige project, or choosing hidden service? “You have to be like Caesar…You have to tax people” [20:36]

Sermon Clips

Think of this
The omnipotent God who can do anything became helpless
A baby cant even hold up its head
The omniscient one who knows every thought every single person has ever had became clueless
Babies know nothing
The transcendent one who wraps himself in unapproachable light was born naked
He had his diapers changed in front of everyone
And he did that so that he could be with you

It says The greater glory is glory that comes from God himself
It is based on Gods being
God has this glory before he created anything
Nothing will change it
It is just based on who he is
Its not a glory earned
Its just a glory that it is
And its a glory that he gives freely
The shepherds by the way do nothing
Theyre just sitting there
And all of a sudden Gods glory breaks in and completely lights them up and overshadows them
Gods glory is able to break through your darkness

You feel good about yourself by diminishing others in your sight
You take from them recognizing that they have few assets to build yourself up and say well I have a lot more here
And I would argue thats how we tend to build our sense of glory our sense of selfworth
You have to be like Caesar Augustus
You have to tax people
You take it from their account to add it to yours

Because when you put these two things together this sense of splendor beauty or excellence whatever it is and this sense of recognition these two things together combine to give us glory
And the root of glory in Hebrew the word kavod actually means to be heavy or weighty
When you think about this to get that something that youre really good at that everyone sees it gives you a sense of value or weight or significance
Right
Think about something that has weight
Its consequential
Its not something small that can just be brushed aside

The first way is just the darkness of grief hardship life
There are some of us who are really grieving in our congregation right now who are sitting in darkness in that way
Gods glory has the ability to pierce through that darkness and light you up
Think of the book of Job and all of the suffering that Job does
What is it that gives Job comfort at the end

You might be born into it or you might be thrust into it
Your life circumstances can change
And what happens when you find yourself outside
Our culture American culture would say pull yourself up by your own bootstraps
Work harder
You want to have excellence
You want to have recognition
Work harder so that people will start to notice you
And now youre moving up in the census
Youre coming out higher in the ranks

What really matters for glory is that when you have an excellent game and you come out on top for the big game that really matters
Or think of it this way
If you make a lot of money thats great
You might feel good about that
But its not so much that you make a lot of money its that you make more than everyone else
This is where you start building your sense of esteem

People notice it
People applaud you for it
You start to build your sense of identity around these things
Thats what were talking about with weight
When we talk about searching for glory were talking about you the way that you find value for your life the way that you actually start to conceive of yourself as somebody who matters

The word that is living out in the fields is a word that means they literally lived outdoors
They didnt have a home right
We know all the time that Mary and Joseph go to Bethlehem so theyre participating in this grand ordering
And when they go to Bethlehem it says theres no room in the guest room or in the house or its sometimes translated the in
They dont fit in
Shepherds are even below that
They dont even have a home to go to
Everybody else is finding their place in society
Shepherds are outside
Theyre living outdoors
They have no place

Youre outside all of the order that people value in our society right
Like theres very little splendor involved with being a stayathome parent
Most days you know we talk about excellence
Most days it probably feels like you are failing right
You talk about recognition
Nobody sees what you do
If youre a stayathome parent nobodys watching right

And in this passage I will argue that we find two types of glory
There is a lesser glory which I would say is the human glory
And there is greater glory which is linked to Gods glory
Well talk about both of these
Lesser glory greater glory and then how do you level up
Because most of us are operating at the level of lesser glory

Now we also see this reflected in the passage in another way
Its not just his name
Its in the fact that he took a census
A census is an ordering right
He had the entire world it says go
We see hes taking a census a list of everyone in the entire world
And when youre taking a census youre getting a sense of everyones assets
What land do you have
What cattle do you have back then
What wealth do you have
You are putting everyone in their proper place

Its because of what he has accomplished that he is now seen as worthy venerable honorable
Its because of what he has accomplished that he is now seen as worthy venerable honorable
And this represents again one type of glory a lesser glory

Youre going to feel better about yourself if everybody else gets a D and you got that A
Or think about it this way sports
We talk about glory in sports all the time
What if a team plays really really well
Thats great to celebrate right
But does it really matter if you lose

The other thing is theres instability
When youre trying to derive your selfworth from this where you fit in your own senses
theres a risk that youre not going to measure up on top all the time
Glory will shift obviously depending on where you are in the order
Its splendor and its recognition
The more splendor you have and the more other people recognize it the more value or worth or glory that you have
But what happens if you dont have very much of it

When I say that you participate in censuses now what I mean is you are the ones who are constantly taking a census
Youre always taking a census
Youre calling one all the time because youre constantly putting things in order
You yourself are constantly ranking things in your mind and measuring out different assets
And these things these categories that you use it might not be a whole world census where youre just getting people to write down their assets
But think of it this way

If we focus on splendor how many of you are looking forward to getting new clothes for Christmas right
That are stylish
I dont know what the term is that all the young people are using for something that looks great these days
But you know whatever that term is youre looking forward to clothing like that right
That fits you really well
How do you feel when you put on a new outfit like that right
You desire that
You want to feel that way
That means youre actually looking forward to glory

The term Augustus is not his name
He was born Gaius Octavius in 63 BC
He was given the title of Augustus which means venerable worthy honored exalted
In other words glorious
Thats what Augustus means
And Im gonna say that this is actually symbolic of the ways that we all Augustus functions as a symbol for us of the ways that we try to achieve glory
Just a little background on him
Born Gaius Octavius in 63 BC
He was the grandson or no Julius Caesar was his granduncle
So hes a grandnephew and he became an adopted son in 43 BC

Think how many of you are just waiting for your boss especially or even other coworkers to just comment on how hard youve been working this year
Or what a great job that youve been doing
How many people are just waiting to even be noticed in that way
Right
If you think of it this way too like maybe youve written a paper right
We just finished up the semester
Hopefully youve gotten all your papers in at this point right

How many of you have ever done something that youre proud of that youve created something that youve actually taken delight in right
That youre like wow I did that
How many of you are looking to master some sort of craft to grow in some sort of skill or talent
And youre really hoping like yeah I want to keep leaning in there
How many of you want to try something and accomplish some new level of excellence that youve never done before
Maybe you want to run a marathon this year

It might be wealth
It might be the amount of power people have
It might be the education the degree of education that people have
It might be the level of influence you have
How many followers do you have on social media right
It could be the accomplishments you have
How long is your CV
Whats your skill your athletic ability or your level of your artistic talent
What title do you have
What connections do you have
I could keep going
The point is that every one of us is constantly putting people in different places

We studied the book of Exodus over many months which talks about the glory of the Lord in multiple places right
The pillar of cloud and a fire
The glory coming down into the temple
We revisited the theme even in our life groups devotional this fall Temple and Table where we talked about the glory of God dwelling with us
But again glory is like what is that
Its a very nebulous term that were probably not using very often

If we think of splendor glory is splendor and glory is you know recognition
If we think of the fact that he has the most assets of anyone hes the ruler of the Roman empire
When you start lining everyone up and measuring everyone hes going to come out the wealthiest right
He has all the power in that way
Anyway you also see even the recognition that he is the one who everyone in the world knows and everyone is obeying
So in this sense hes coming out at the very top of the census
Hes the one that commands it
Hes flexing his might
Hes using power to show the world that hes in charge

And I would argue that when you take a census youre also collecting taxes because youre measuring everyone up youre seeing what assets they bring and youre finding where you fit in
And again this is for the sake of glory right
This is how youre starting to build your sense of selfworth
And its not just splendor that matters
Its not just being good at something right
Its the order thats really important
You know for example you might have aced the exam and you might feel really good about that
But if you find out that everybody else also got an Aplus on that exam are you going to really feel that great
Is it really going to help you build your sense of selfworth

Its not a glory that taxes people because youre not trying to measure yourself up
Its just based on the fact that God is and you are and youre made in his image
So you dont have to view other people as a threat
Youre not taking from them to build yourself up
And now you can actually start adding to each others glory when youre praising God and pointing out the good that you see in other people the ways that you see God at work
That collectively adds
Think about when you discover a great restaurant in DC
You wanna tell other people about it
And when they go and they report back like yeah this was awesome

Ask a question about this sermon

Chatbot

What distinguishes lesser glory from greater glory?

How does the census symbolize human glory?

Why must we see Jesus for ourselves?

EMMANUEL: GOD WITH US | Pastor Brian Carrier

Devotional

Day 1: Good News of Great Joy: Glory Breaks In

Day 2: Lesser Glory and the Census of Comparison

Day 3: From Outside to Inside: Glory That Unites

Day 4: Beholding and Becoming: Praising into Greater Glory

Day 5: Born to You: The Lord of Glory Made Low

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

Chatbot

EMMANUEL: GOD WITH US | Pastor Brian Carrier

Share