Yr B, Transfiguration                     March 2, 2025
2 Corinthians 3:7-18                     Pastor Ryan Wolfe

“People of God: Reflect God’s Glory!”

Several weeks ago we began this “Epiphany Moments” standing beside the prophet Isaiah at his vision of God in the throne room. Do you remember? The six-winged seraphim angels surrounding him and singing their praises? The hem of his robe filing the earth and his glory surrounding everything? We talked about the blessing and fear we must have as sinners before completely holy and awesome God.

Over the weeks we’ve seen God reveal different truths to us through these Epiphany moments. Failure in leading people to faith isn’t failure in preaching. Popularity isn’t proof of success. He calls and sends out regular people just like us to do his work and share his word. He opens our eyes to despise earthly blessings and instead hold on to the heavenly. In fact, we even find ourselves serving the sinful and loving our enemies as we heard last week. Without God’s teaching, we would never have seen any of this. Thank God for his epiphanies!

Today at the end of the season we find ourselves in a sense back at the beginning, considering God’s glory. Jesus pulls aside the veil for just a moment on the Mount of Transfiguration and that terrifying, awesome, holiness of God is made visible to us once again. But did you notice a subtle difference? The unfiltered holiness of God brought terror to Isaiah. In the boat Peter called out, “Away from me. I am a sinful man!” But here, when faced with that same glory, Peter asks Jesus if they can stay. The difference? For three years, Peter and James and John had come to know Jesus’ love as well as his power.

I hope that’s where we stand today as well. Our God is an awesome God, beyond us in every way. Yet his love is just as powerful as his glory. In fact, this section of Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians reminds us that not only do Christians reflect God’s love as we saw last week – we reflect his glory as well. As Christians we carry the name of God to the world. How we live, how we speak, the priorities we set, the choices we make…they all reflect on him.

Centuries ago, that was certainly true for the people of Israel. God had set their nation apart to be a light of his grace in a world dark with sin. The people had seen God’s power and glory as he delivered them from Egypt with powerful plagues and led them through the Red Sea. God’s glorious presence was with them in a pillar of cloud every day and a pillar of fire every night. After the exodus they came to Mt. Sinai, encamped at the foot of the mountain with God glorious in the cloud covering the top. Moses went into that cloud to talk to God, receiving the law and commandments. The first time he came back down the people were worshiping a golden calf. Punishment ensued, but God relented and allowed Moses to go back up the mountain.

In our first reading from Exodus 34, this time when Moses comes down it’s different. Moses’ face literally radiated God’s glory after his time on the mountain. And that terrified the people—as it should. What kind of glory must God have to make even the sinful face of Moses shine?!

In Paul’s letter to the Corinthians he makes two points from this shining face of Moses. First, he makes a comparison between two covenants. Now a covenant is a contract, or an agreement. I live in a subdivision where I have to abide by the housing covenant. They make the rules. I have to follow them. That’s the deal. Scripture talks about two primary covenants between mankind and God. Moses and the Ten Commandments are the symbol of the Old Covenant. God had told the people on Mount Sinai that if they followed the Commandments perfectly, he would bless them and be their God. Of course, they didn’t, so God couldn’t – not on the basis of that covenant anyway.

That’s why Paul describes this covenant in verse seven as “the ministry that brought death, which was engraved in letters on stone…so that the that Israelites could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of its glory, transitory though it was.” It’s an interesting way to describe God’s law. The law that Moses brought reveals God’s glory. It is holy as he is holy. It demands perfection as he is perfect. And for Israel, and for us, that leads only to death. Because we are NOT perfect. Not by a long shot. Like Moses’ face, the glory of the law fades away as we come to understand we are not going to be entering heaven based on what we do and how we live.

Paul continues though, describing the counter to this ministry of death. He calls it the “ministry of the Spirit” in verse eight. “If the ministry that brought condemnation was glorious…” (remember, the law only shows our sin and condemns us to death and hell) …“how much more glorious is the ministry that brings righteousness! For what was glorious has no glory now in comparison with the surpassing glory. And if what was transitory came with glory, how much greater is the glory of that which lasts!”

Now, I know this is kind of complicated, but if we take the time to understand it, it’s amazing. It’s glorious. The Old covenant was based on our obedience. If we do what God wants, then we will be saved and God will be pleased with us. But the glory and blessing of that covenant fades away because we can’t hold up our end of the deal. That law was glorious because of its perfection and its potential, but it failed because we fail in sin. Instead, Paul describes another ministry. One that doesn’t just have potential for righteousness, but one that delivers it. One that doesn’t fade like the glory on Moses’ face, but one that delivers glory that lasts.

In the end, every religion in the world offers one of two possible ways to get to paradise. Most religions are religions of this old covenant. They can be attractive because they offer something glorious. “Do this, say that, sacrifice this, and you will have a place with God,” they say. There’s a glory to that, but it fades in the face of the reality of our sin. Like that commercial with the fisherman and a dollar bill on the hook, we naturally always think we’re going to do better but the victory over sin is always out of reach isn’t it?

That’s why Paul, why we, rejoice in this other ministry of a greater glory. A glory that doesn’t fail to live up to our expectations. Not one we find on Mt. Sinai in the law but on the Mount of Transfiguration in Christ. On that mountain Jesus shows three of his disciples the glory that was usually hidden. His clothes became radiant, like a bolt of lightning! But as I said before, instead of fear, now the disciples want to stay and bask in that glory. You see, now they knew Jesus. They had seen him serve others in love. They had seen him speak with outcasts and prostitutes and open sinners. They saw him dine with tax collectors. They heard him preach forgiveness to the despairing and rebuke to the prideful. They had seen his miracles, observed his power over devils. They knew he was perfect. In Jesus these disciples understood that God may hide his power and glory, but they’re real.

Just days after this glorious experience on the mountain, these disciples would learn just how much God’s love can hide God’s glory. They would see this shining, glorious face of Jesus covered in blood on the cross. These clothes, shining like lightning here would be divided among Roman soldiers. This glorious Son of God would be crucified between two criminals.

For a time they feared that Jesus’ glory was as fading as Moses’ face. For three days they huddled in fear. They questioned their trust in him. They lost sight of God’s hidden glory. But Easter Sunday Jesus pulled aside the veil again. You may recall that the veil in the temple symbolically separating the people from God’s Most Holy Place was literally torn in two on Good Friday. It might be the most “on the nose” symbolism in Scripture. Jesus’ lasting glory wasn’t in a moment on the mountaintop with three disciples. It was in the empty cross and empty tomb for all to see.

In Jesus’ death and resurrection we find a ministry that accomplishes its purpose. The righteousness we need for heaven is given to all who believe. It doesn’t fade or perish or spoil – no God keeps it in heaven for us. And this unfading glory changes us. In v. 12 Paul says it makes us bold. In verse 18 he says, “We, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory…”

Do you hear that? God says if you are a believer you already are reflecting the Lord’s glory. By faith, by grace, you already shine with the radiance of Christ as you trust in his life and death. But notice that Paul says as we reflect that glory, we are also being transformed. Reflecting God’s glory is not only who we are, but also what we do. If your life doesn’t look too spiritually glorious, then know that your shortcomings are forgiven in Jesus and that today God is blessing you with another reminder and another day to be transformed in life too.

In just a few days our season of Epiphany Moments will be replaced by a season of Lenten reminders. But even as we see our Savior suffer and carry our sins, we do it knowing what the disciples didn’t in their time. Glory hidden is not glory gone. Not for Jesus and not for us. Remember Paul’s words in verses 16 and 17 always, “Whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” Let this be our last Epiphany Moment. In Jesus, you are free and glorious. Reflect that glory in faith and in life. Amen.