In the Christmas story from the Gospel of Luke, shepherds hear angels sing surrounded by the glory of the Lord. What pushed back the darkness that night was nothing less than the glory of the Lord. What could this mean for us today Perhaps it is the power to enter into Christmas like a child, lifting us beyond cynicism and beyond all our questions, to the place in the human soul where hope lives where a little bit of the glory of the Lord can shine upon us at Christmas with peace, goodwill and a brighter vision of the future.