Ordinary Time

Pause

The moments of our lives may be bright with possibility, dark with fear or sadness, or even plain everyday gray, but God's glory never fades.

God's presence deepens our joys, comforts our concerns, and settles our restlessness.

Take time to look into the brights and darks and grays of your day.

Seek the One whose glory shines in the light and through the darkness.

Listen

We didn’t repeat crafty myths when we told you about the powerful coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Quite the contrary, we witnessed his majesty with our own eyes. He received honor and glory from God the Father when a voice came to him from the magnificent glory, saying, “This is my dearly loved Son, with whom I am well-pleased.” We ourselves heard this voice from heaven while we were with him on the holy mountain.

2 Peter 1:16-18

Think

Jesus gave his disciples strict instructions not to tell anyone about what had happened on the mountaintop until after he was resurrected.

Many years later, long after Jesus had been raised from death and lifted to heaven, Christians gathered in small clusters — churches — and received letters from the apostles of Christ. The letters contained teaching about Jesus’ life, correction when the church was wrong, and encouragement for believers surrounded by sinful societies.

Some people accused the Christians of making up myths about Christ. The apostles’ letters reassured the church with their own real-life experiences of Jesus. They had seen, heard, and felt the presence of God on the mountaintop, and they shared that testimony with the distant churches. Through them, believers who had never known Jesus himself came to know the glory of God in the beloved Son.

The glory of God — the shadowing cloud, the holy voice, the shining face of Jesus — is not a creative invention. The glory of God was, and still is, true life for all who receive it.

Nikki Finkelstein-Blair

Pray

Sometimes I feel far away from you, God. I didn't walk and talk with Jesus; I didn't see his shining face or feel his hand on my shoulders. Help me, like believers across the centuries, to experience your glory in the witness of the scriptures. I praise you, for your presence is with us still! Amen.

Go

May God's glory shine into the exciting lights, upsetting darks, and boring grays of your every day.

May God’s continuing presence shine through you, bringing joy, comfort, and calm.

Through you, may others be inspired to praise God!