The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
~John 1:14 ESV
Your team winning the biggest game. Seeing an incredible artist, live. A hero’s bravery in a dangerous situation. The award for a world-changing medical or scientific idea. An experience of glory is something you don’t forget.
Glory is a greatness that endures—a story worth telling, an impact that matters.
In the Bible’s Old Testament, God’s glory was also a byword for his presence. People couldn’t see God, but during the Exodus his presence led them as a cloud. His glory filled the tabernacle, and everyone had to wait outside. When God’s glory passed by, God hid Moses behind a rock.
But one night outside Bethlehem, God’s glory shone around a group of shepherds as angels declared “Glory in the highest!” And in the nearby town a baby’s cry announced that God’s glory had come down low—that the Word of God, who has been with God since the beginning of all things (John 1:1), who helped create the world itself, had become a human—had come to live on earth. And his name would be called Emmanuel: God with us.
For one, brief, human lifetime, Jesus Christ walked among ordinary people, and one of them was named John. John wrote a book about it, so that people who hadn’t been there might believe that Jesus was God’s son, and by believing, have life (John 20:30-31). In chapter 1, John declares: we have seen his glory. We looked straight at it. We watched it, day in and day out. And John wants to describe it—for us.
Jesus’ glory manifested in dramatic and humble ways. He walked on water, but he also spent a lot of time on dusty roads. He taught, and he fielded criticism. He healed sickness, but he and his disciples weren’t spared life’s frustrations and inequities.
Is everyday life glorious? Maybe it can be—if Jesus is with us. Throughout Lent, this series of meditations will look at the glory John saw, and the glory Jesus himself described, to find a deeper understanding of the presence of God with us.
Today: What comes to mind when you think about “glory”? Is it something you dream of for yourself? Is it something you associate with other people? If you think about God, what do you picture? Can you think of a time when you’ve experienced glory? What made that moment glorious?
To describe God’s glory is to know about God himself—just as Jesus teaches about himself through the I AM statements in the book of John. (You can learn more about these in Grace Chapel’s Lent teaching series.)
Read John 1:1-18. Ask God to open your eyes to his glory in everyday life.
Looking for the Kids meditations?
We have a kid-friendly version of each of these meditations with an activity sheet included!
Meditations written by Meghan Blosser.