If you think of glory as light, it is bright; we are amazed and blinded in its presence.
Love, though, is warm; we are invited to enter it, to be enveloped by its welcome.
Imagine these two portions of the spectrum coming together, one bleeding into the other, each becoming part of the other. You find it hard to distinguish them as separate.
Now think of God.
When he had gone out, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and will glorify him at once."
John 13:31-32
Glory is not a word we use daily, is it? I can go days without saying the word. There are other words, however, that are common, everyday words for me. Aside from words used in greetings, some of my most frequent everyday words are: hungry, tired, want, chocolate, tweeted, Googled, emailing. The words I use most often are words that describe me, my wants, and my needs. Glory, therefore, does not fit the bill. The concept and understanding of glory is outside of me; it’s elusive and hard to describe.
But I know it fits in the realm of something holy, Other, and wondrous. It has to do with God; God and glory go together. Today’s passage tells us that Jesus and God are glorified together in one. It’s hard to explain, not quite logical, and the disciples are probably just as confused. But it causes us to pause for a moment.
Let’s do that. Let us pause and wonder about the glory of God in our lives.
Aram Bae
God of glory and love, help me to pause today, to have moments when I wonder about the glory of your grace and mercy in my life. As I am blessed by those moments, help me to be a blessing to those around me. Amen.
God the Creator, guide my heart and fill it with kindness and gentleness.
God the Redeemer, clear my mind and focus me with mercy and grace.
God the Sustainer, steady my soul and convict it with justice and truth.
As you bless me today with your glory and love, may I bless others too.