December 19
We Reflect the Lord’s Glory Through Faith in Christ
And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. 2 Corinthians 3:18
There will be a full moon this evening, December 19. If it’s clear and you’re living in an area covered with snow, tonight’s full moon will allow you to see with great detail. The light of the moon reflected by the snow allows you to see the landscape, the forests, and even individual houses.
The light of the moon can never match the glory of the sun. But the light reflected by the moon is glorious nonetheless.
In 2 Corinthians Paul writes, “And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”
Like the moon reflecting the light of the sun, we believers also reflect the glory of the Son, Jesus Christ. Perhaps we have not physically viewed the Lord’s glory as the shepherds did that first Christmas. But we’ve seen the glory of the Lord’s great love. Through the words of Scripture, we’ve seen the glory of God’s great love, which led Jesus to be born and to take the punishment for our sins upon himself.
You and I have seen the glory of the Lord. We know we are forgiven through Christ’s blood!
We also, like the moon, have an opportunity to reflect that glory of God’s love by the life we live.
As our relationship with Jesus grows deeper, the apostle Paul states that we are being transformed to better reflect God’s glory by the life we live. We reflect the glory of the Son by our attitudes, by our words, and by the way we treat one another.
Like the moon reflecting the light of the sun, we’ll never match the glory of God’s love in God’s Son, Jesus Christ. But like a full moon shining across a snowy landscape, we can reflect the glory of the Lord in the love we show one another.
Dear Jesus, help me by my attitude, my words, and my actions to reflect that I have seen the glory of your love for me. You demonstrated that love when you came to be born, to suffer, to die in my place, and to rise again. Help me reflect the glory of your love in all I do and say! Amen.
Rev. Joel Thomford serves Martin Luther College as an admissions counselor.
