Reflections of Glory

​Lake Winnipesaukee is uncharacteristically quiet in the early morning.  The wind and the wakes have not rumpled the water yet. The surface of the water is flat and looks more like a pond than a huge lake.  The still of the morning is appealing to wildlife. Animals and birds emerge from their night time rest.  A chipmunk scurries across the deck.  A loon swims close to the shore and dives for food below. The heavens and the earth are awakening.  The clouds in the sky are turning golden as the sun rises in the horizon.
 
As I stood on the end of our long dock looking at the morning scene I noticed hundreds of tiny water bugs shooting across the water's surface.  The water was so still that I could see how each bug left a small "V"-shaped wake behind it.  Together these bugs made a beautiful pattern on the water.  The morning sun was rising, and it made every water bug look like a point of light.  It seemed like I was looking at a pyrotechnic quilt on the water.
 
I am astonished at how God reveals His glory through creation!  If only we would be still and wait, we could know God. (Psalm 46:10)  This is one of the ways in which God planned for us to know Him. "For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities--His eternal power and divine nature--have been clearly seen being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse." (Romans 1:20)
 
God reminded me that another way in which He reveals Himself on earth is through the Body of Christ.  Just like those bugs shining on the surface of the water we are meant to shine the light of Christ to the world around us.  "Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you." (Isaiah 60:1)  God sent Jesus as the "Light of the World."  Apostle Paul explains God's intention in 2 Corinthians 4:6.  "For God, who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness,' made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ."
 
Jesus told His disciples, "You are the light of the world.  A city on a hill cannot be hidden.  Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl.  Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.  In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise Your Father in heaven." (Matthew 5:14-16)
 
Do you see how this scene of lit up water bugs, transforming the surface of the water into something beautiful, is like what the Body of Christ is meant to do?  The Son shines on us so that we reflect His glory.  Together we transform the environment.  The wake that we leave behind us should create a pattern of beauty, and the light that is within us should shine the love of Jesus to those around us. Here is what is written in Habakkuk 2:14.  "For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea." Could it be that the prophet saw a time when Believers came together in unity and spread the glory and love of the Lord around the world?  I think so.
 
Jesus prayed to Father God before returning to heaven.  "I pray also for those who will believe in me through their (the disciples) message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you...I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one:  I in them and you in me.  May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me." (John 17:20-23)  We are meant to be glory carriers and to reflect the love of Christ all over the world.  During a time of worship this morning we sang a song called “Your Glory,” written by Leslie Jordan.  The words make a confession:  “And my life is Yours…Cause Your glory is so beautiful I fall onto my knees in awe.  And the heartbeat of my life is to worship in Your light; Cause Your glory is so beautiful.”  May this be our heart cry.