From the Vicar...
Christ's loving self-sacrifice demonstrates the glory of God
Glory!
It's an old fashioned word. Most of us don't use it much anymore - except in church. Here, every Sunday, we sing "Glory to God in the highest..." And, when we pray the Lord's Prayer, we say: "for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever." But beyond that, it's not a word we use all that often in everyday speech.
Does the word have any meaning to us when we use it in church? Or is it just one of those ritual words we repeat without thinking?
What does "glory" mean? What pictures go through your mind when I say the word? Maybe you see something shining: a brilliant light, like the sun. Or perhaps you think of the glories of nature: a glorious sunset perhaps. Jesus spoke of Solomon in all of his glory, suggesting splendor, wealth, riches, authority. You get the idea: when something is glorious, it's not just good, it's great!
All of these qualities are ones we associate with God. God is the most glorious of all. From Psalms to Revelation, the Bible urges us to give glory to God. Indeed, in Ephesians, Paul suggests that we have been appointed to live for the praise of God's glory. Our very purposein life is to glorify God.
The question, of course, is: how can we do this?
We can scarcely add to the qualities that make God glorious. It would be like saying that somehow you or I could add to the brilliance of the sun or improve on the beauty of a rose. So what does the Bible mean when it says we are to glorify God? It means we are to recognize - acknowledge - God's glorious nature. Call the attention, not only of our own selves, but of others to God's glory. Demonstrate why the glory of God is important to us. What a difference it makes that we live under the authority of God's glory.
In this Sunday's Gospel, Jesus says, "Now is the Son of Man glorified." What was the occasion? Jesus had just sent Judas away to carry out his intention of betrayal. Is this what's going to glorify him? Clearly so, if you listen further. For Jesus goes on to say, "Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone, but if it dies, it bears much fruit." Which is to say, the glory of Jesus begins with his death. The Book of Revelation repeatedly associates the death of Jesus with glory. "Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive...glory," the heavenly beings sing.
Jesus glorified God by his death. By his life and resurrection, too, of course. But there could be no resurrection without his death. By dying Jesus called attention to the glory of God. He showed what kind of God we have: a God who loves the world enough to send his Son as sacrifice for sin. That's love which truly deserves to be called glorious. Christ's loving self-sacrifice demonstrates the glory of God.
Fr. Chip
Warm words of thanks from the Scott family
Dear Father Chip,
On behalf of me and my siblings, I wanted to share our most heartfelt thanks to you and your congregation for the generosity and warm welcome you gave to us as we memorialized our mother, [Kay Scott], this past weekend.
In the 20-plus years that she lived in the New Hampshire Seacoast area, Trinity was her base. She was very committed to the friends and community of Trinity.
Sincerely,
Karen, eldest of Kay Scott's children
