Day of Praise

Sorry! Still getting kinks worked out of the new lists.

Fr, 01/16/15, "Day of Praise"

"and I saw the glory of the God of Israel coming from the east" - Ezekiel 43:2

Amazing!

What must it have been like for Ezekiel to have seen the glory of God?

Can anything compare?

What are the greatest things you've ever seen?

I've seen three things on an internet list of top 10 sights in the world and 39 of a top 100 in the USA. 

But none of them compares to seeing each of my three children burst into the world. And seeing them laugh together (especially now as they're all three teenagers and older) is a very, very, very close second. 

But God says in the Bible, in John 1:14, that each of us, like Ezekiel, has seen the greatest wonder known to humankind. We have beheld God's glory in the face of Jesus Christ, who even now is with us and dwelling in us by the power of the Holy Spirit. 

Describing what we've seen in Christ is hard. How do you describe “Glory” which is what some Bible dictionaries call "Weighty Importance" and "Inspiring Majesty"?

And yet it's possible. 

God's glory, God's "Weighty Importance" and "Inspiring Majesty" is seen through God's mighty acts in creation. 

No, you probably haven't seen the parting of the Red Sea as God did for Moses and the Israelites. 

But, c'mon, think! God has done something for you that, when you stop and think about it, it's marvelous to behold.

Stars at night. Heart stopper!

Cahaba Lilies by day. Breathtaking!

Birth of a child. Oh, wow!

Laughter of a child. Glorious!

Laughter of an adult. Miraculous!

Looking in the mirror and smiling at what you see because life is beautiful, and by God's grace you have it. Glory!

Dinner on the table, prepared by your teenage children. Are you kidding me?!?!?!?

At their initiative. Silly amazing!

Jesus on a cross. Shedding his blood for you and me. Speechless!

Peeking for a moment at your loved ones together and bowed before God in prayer saying, "Dear Lord, thank you for...". Priceless!

A sun rise in the east. Incomparable!

The Son Rising from the grave after dying for your sin and mine. Beyond understanding and explanation!

Glorious. Weighty. Important. Inspiring. Majestic. 

"and I saw the glory of the God of Israel coming from the east" - Ezekiel 43:2

Praise God!