Sermon – Glory for God
Genesis 2; Revelation 21:1-7, 9-14, 18-26
Farmville Presbyterian Church
11/17/24
Have you ever watched a game show? I bet you have. In fact, I bet you have seen a number of game shows over the years. When I was a child, I got pretty good at The Price is Right. It was hard not to imagine Bob Barker saying my name and me running down front with the audience cheering me on. Let’s Make a Deal was always fun with all of the crazy costumes and surprise worthless gifts along with amazing ones. Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy fit the prime gameshow timeslot and are the friend of many early evening television viewer. Of course, there are many, many more than that brief list – nearly more than can be listed. Jokers Wild, Family Feud, Hollywood Squares, Password, Newlywed Game, and Pyramid are all still just a few, but perhaps none are greater than the Gong Show, if for no other reason than the name. Who doesn’t like a gong for fun?
Before you wonder whether I am getting any kickbacks on shameless tv advertising, let me explain. Sure, the shows are fun, but there is something that gameshows offer that no other shows do, and I believe that is no small part of why they are still popular. Contestants are all the time walking away with something new. It might just be money, but there are vacations and prizes galore. The shows are full of bright and shiny and new, and for just a few minutes, we can vicariously enjoy the excitement of possibly winning something new, too. We all deep down want more than we have right now. The promise of something new or something more is interesting, maybe more than interesting.
In my recent sermon series on where God is leading us through the ages, this one is the big message, the numero uno, the whole shebang. We are talking God’s glory. There is literally one and only one reason why we are on this planet that we call the earth. There is one and only one reason why each of us was born into this life. There is one and only one reason why we are called to be here today or anywhere as God’s people. That reason is for the glory of God.
For those of you out there who remember the Shorter Catechism of the Westminster Confession, the gold standard of Presbyterian beliefs, you will recall the very first question: What is our chief end, in other words, our purpose for existing? The answer, in case you did not guess, is to glorify God and to enjoy God forever. We are to live for the glory of God and to like it.
I will not ask for a show of hands as to how many of us woke up this morning and said, “I am going to glorify God today.” It is possible that not many of us say that everyday, but we do probably want to live in ways that are helpful toward God, but living for the glory of God is pretty serious and a big undertaking. Even today, coming to worship and give glory is one thing, but God is even more interested in what we do when we leave and for the rest of the week. Every second of our life is meant for the glory of God, and if we do not enjoy this shared life, then what’s the point?
So what I expect to see this week is all of us walking around in monk robes, quietly chanting sacred songs in vows of poverty, and being very serious. Maybe some of you might like that. I would not. Thank God for monks, but that life would not fit me (and I guess many of you) without some big changes. First, it could seem fairly boring. In fact, that idea made me NOT want to go into ministry as a career in the beginning. It struck me as too serious, but how we glorify God may not be as we first think. Today, I want to get into how the Bible frames its entire biblical witness and what this might say for our purpose of glorifying God.
As soon as the dust settles in the creation of Genesis, God sets to the first big work. The first real job once creation is done is finding a helper for the man. The man was lacking in that there was no one to share that life of tending creation. It is almost a comical story. You noticed how God tries out all the animals first – everything that had already been made. I doubt bugs and birds were too seriously considered. You might imagine other creatures might have had a chance. We like dogs and horses, even monkeys or apes could be useful, especially ones named Clyde. Snakes – ehh – not so much in the Garden of Eden. I might have been OK with an alpaca. Not only are they cute and good for wool, but it is a fun name to say. Cats were completely ruled out though, because as we know, cats would have overthrown humanity and ruled the world. The bottom line is that no creature was suitable for that role as Adam’s helper, so God introduced woman or Eve. It made sense. Finally, there was someone truly suited and fitting. This is the point. There in that moment we are given the first marriage. It was not called a marriage, but it stands as the model for human life. We are meant to be together in good and meaningful and lifegiving ways. This relationship in itself was glorifying to God.
In a way, God created human love in that moment. God gave us space to have love for each other. Then and there, love happened, and it changed the world. Love glorified God because God is love.
Of course, we have never lived up to that love. Even Adam and Eve struggled to live up to that love. Immediately, they defied God together. Their children brought murder into creation. We have been struggling to live in good ways and right ways and holy ways and godly ways ever since. The law commanded us to love God and our neighbor, but we didn’t. The prophets called us to love God, but it was so hard with everything else going on. We failed all over the place to love God as we should have. We do have moments of good love toward each other, though. And Jesus wants us to know that when we do love those who need to be loved, we are also loving him. God gave us the love we share, the ability to love, the space to love, and the reasons to love. Sometimes that love also points toward God, but our love of God has been lacking, seriously lacking.
Our idea of love, in fact, has been so off that God gave us a new picture of love that we could never forget, an image of love that we can never unsee. Every time you see a cross, you are supposed to be reminded of that. God loves us more than we can imagine; God loves us more than we can believe.
The world has changed since Jesus died on the cross and was risen from the dead. The world has changed in significant ways, and our love has a capacity for change in this world that it never did before. The Spirit of God in Christ is an amazing vessel for godly grace that gives us love to share and room to receive love in ways that might surprise us. You cannot just love others, after all, but you must also be willing to receive love. It might not look like you expect, but honest, godly love will also push us in good ways. Love will grow you.
This year Anne and I celebrate 29 years of marriage, and I can honestly say that she had no idea what she was getting into. No, I didn’t either. But neither of us is the same person from that November evening in 1995. We have both changed so, so much, even in good ways – she more so than I. Love will do that, though. It will lead you into change, if you allow it to hold your life. We have known grace, and we have a better love in God.
This is not the last marriage that I am going to reference today, however. Revelation 21 is also a marriage, the greatest one that the world has ever seen. It is the marriage of us in Christ. Yes, some kind of marriage is our destiny. You heard New Jerusalem coming as a bride adorned for her husband. God will be so present with us that there will no longer need to be a sun for us to have light. That sounds pretty glorious. In fact, everything about this shouts glory – the stones and colors and amazing imagery paint a picture too rich to imagine, but the idea is simple. This is God’s glory abiding with us forever.
The Bible begins and ends in marriage. It begins and ends in the promise of relationships and committed love. It begins and ends as a reflection of God’s nature. It is the picture of love. It is the story of love. It is the promise of love. Even when we were unable to love well. Even when we have had a hard time loving ourselves very well, God has still loved us. The day is coming when we will be healed, when we will be comforted, when we will be restored, and we will be loved in the glory of God because that is the glory of God.
I am doing my best to avoid churchy language here and being too theological. The glory of God is extraordinarily simple. We love each other as God loves us. We love each other because God loves us. We love because we are grateful for God’s grace in Christ. It is our nature and joy to love. This is our calling every hour of every day of every year for the rest of our lives. Great, great love is coming. God’s glory guarantees it.
Yes, to God be the glory. Amen.