Transformed by glory

From Helen 

In our readings this morning we have heard about the blinding glory of God. From Moses (Ex. 34:29-35) whose face would have been too bright for the Israelites to cope with unless his face was veiled to Peter (Luke 9:28-36) trying to contain the moment of glory, we have heard about the fact that God is full of glory, God reveals Himself to us in many ways and sometimes we can’t quite cope with what that means.

We worship God, we know that He is almighty, we sing of His glory but we don’t always live as people who have been that affected by God. The disciples had walked with Jesus, they had seen amazing things happen but Peter wanted to stay where he was and not move on. He wanted to contain the moment and keep it to himself. I can understand that, those type of moments when something incredible happens and you don’t want to move on. 

The Israelites could not cope with Moses’ shining face and so Moses had to hide the glory of God away from them. We can sometimes be so stuck in the way we do things we almost block God out. I was talking to someone who said that they were going to spend time with God. I thought this was great that someone wanted to spend time with God.  It all went wrong with the next thing they said, ‘Yes well I have a lot to say to God, I will say my piece and then I will be done.’ I commented that it would be good to maybe listen to God. 

It’s important that we talk to God, it’s important that we seek to spend time with Him but it’s important that we take time to allow God to show us His glory. This means sitting in quiet, it means taking a breath when we pray, it means reading our Bibles thoughtfully and not just rushing through. It mainly means that we don’t box God into the way that we expect Him to be. 

Peter wanted to build three separate places, it was the only way that he could think of to contain Jesus and the law giver Moses and prophet Elijah. 

Sometimes we can be so set in our ways that we forget to allow God to do things differently and sometimes we forget that we need to move on in our relationship with God. 

This week we will see the beginning of lent. Lent is our preparation season, our time as we lead up to holy week and Easter.  I really like the Churches seasons because I like the fact that we are reminded to do certain things. In this period of lent we will be reminded of Jesus’ sacrifice for us, we will be reminded that He was tempted in every way but did not sin and we will in turn make sacrifices.

There was a man who every week used to go to the pub and order three pints. The bar man asked why, as he was on his own he always ordered three pints.  He explained that the other two pints were for his brothers and that they had agreed that on the same day at the same time every week wherever they were in the world they would have three pints to think about each other. The barman got used to this but then one night the man came in and ordered 2 pints not 3. The barman didn’t know how to ask if everything was ok, he felt a bit awkward but fearing the worst he thought that he should ask the man if his brothers were well. The man said they were fine. The barman asked why there was only 2 pints, ‘Oh’ said the man,  ‘ one of my brothers has given up alcohol for lent.’  

Lent is an ideal time for us as we think of the need for things that are going to change our lives, our relationship with God and with other people, not just for lent but for ever. We need to be prepared to move on in our relationship with God, to seek His glory and to seek to share that glory with others.

Lent is a reminder to us that we need to move on in our relationship with God. We do this with the confidence of knowing that the glory of God that Moses and Peter saw is the glory that is all around us, it is the glory which we share. It is the glory of love, it is the glory of transformation, it is the glory of wonder, it is the glory of knowing that God is with us always and He will help us through everything.

In his famous "Mountain Top speech" the day before he was shot, Martin Luther King said, "I don't know what will happen now. We've got some difficult days ahead. But it doesn't matter with me now. Because I've been to the mountain top. And I don't mind. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I'm not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will. And He's allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I've looked over. And I've seen the promised land. 

I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people will get to the promised land. And I'm happy, tonight. I'm not worried about anything. I'm not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord."

Martin Luther King in those incredible words showed someone who had been transformed by God, someone who knew the love of God, someone who was allowing God to use him. All of this caused him to have confidence that whatever happened he had seen the glory of God. 

God gives us confidence as we spend more time with him and as we approach lent and this time we will seek to see more of the glory of God and to allow Him to work in our lives as we seek to share that glory with others. 

May we have, like those to whom the epistle ( 2 Cor. 3:12-4:2) was written, ‘ ..unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror’. AMEN