Thoughts for the Day

After Jesus had spoken these words, he looked up to heaven and said, ‘Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son so that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all people, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. I glorified you on earth by finishing the work that you gave me to do. So now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had in your presence before the world existed.

(Lectionary, New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

We look back again to before Jesus' death and to the beginning of the High Priestly Prayer, to a subject that is difficult to define. What does 'Glory' mean in the Bible? It seems to me to be an almost impossible question, but when we look at John, Chapter 17 we have to make a stab at an answer. In the Hebrew scriptures (our Old Testament} 'glory' seems to mean 'heaviness' or 'weight', and is often used to describe someone's importance or power. When applied to God it refers to His greatness and to the splendour that comes from Him, often described as 'light'. In the book of Exodus God shows Moses His glory, and later we read that Moses' face 'shone' so that the people were afraid to come near him and he was forced to cover his face (Exodus 34.29-39). Another description is found in Psalm 19, that declares 'The heavens declare the glory of God.'

None the wiser yet? Well it has to be said that the word 'glory' is one of those words that are difficult to describe without using an example. For instance, how do you describe 'beauty' without pointing to something and saying "that is beautiful". Or how do you describe the wind, other than to show its affect on something?

In the New Testament 'glory' is shared by God with Jesus because of his sacrifice made for us. When Jesus raises Lazarus from death he says that "This illness does not lead to death; rather it is for God's glory, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it." (John 11.1-44). Jesus' death and resurrection, as well as the raising of Lazarus are both acts that add to God's greatness, and through Him also to Jesus. Today, when we refer to God's greatness, we speak of His honour, His power, and His majesty. All we can do when we hear the phrase 'God's Glory' is acknowledge all of these, and worship Him.

God of Glory,
God of Might,
God of Power,
God of Light,
God of Majesty,
may we worship and praise You as
Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
this day, and throughout our life.
Amen.