Friday, September 30, 2005
A Newfound Glory
Glory is not a word that I often use. When I hear it, I immediately associate it with church. Its dictionary definition is “praise and distinction by common consent.” Debbie Blue, the author of Glory Doesn’t Shine, It Bleeds, associates the word glory with other jealous gods. Gods like Zeus and Aphrodite, who demand constant attention and admiration. But, our God also demands constant admiration. After all, weren’t we created to worship him? And several times throughout the Bible, God is described as a “jealous God”. He even refers to himself as being desirous. In Exodus 20:5, He says “for I the Lord your God am a jealous God”. It doesn’t get much clearer than that.
However, the glory exemplified in John 17, shows us a new slant to the idea of our God yearning for glory. The glory discussed in this passage is totally for us. As Jesus prayed “glorify me,” he was referring to being raised up on the cross to be crucified. Debbie Blue paints a picture of the process of crucification. “Each step systematically deprived the one being crucified of honor and power. It was a kind of entertainment for the crowds to come and mock and ridicule the dying person.” This is not the scene I picture when I think of someone receiving glory. Instead, I picture of a gymnasium full of people cheering for the athlete who just scored the game-winning point. I think of admiration, not humiliation.
The author also illustrates this glory by referring to the differences of the traits of God and Zeus. “This is not Zeus all mad because someone didn’t admire his muscles sufficiently. This is God giving up all the muscle. And this is the glory of God. It doesn’t exactly shine, it bleeds.” It is so amazing that the kind of glory Jesus requests is glory that places His creation, me, as the top priority. He does not ask for fame, He wants me to accept the grace He grants.
The idea of my “jealous” God wanting to be gloried in a way that unites his kingdom is not an easy concept for me, a relatively independent person, to grasp. But what better way to glorify my creator than to accept his gift of grace?