In the next few weeks, tens of thousands of visitors will be turning up to carol services for their yearly dose of feel-good religion all over the country.
We’ve been studying 2 Corinthians in our Bible study group this term, and I’ve been struck by the privilege we all have as Christians as we hold the treasure of the gospel message in our hearts. There is strong incarnation language in 2 Corinthians 4.6, where Paul talks about the glory of God: ‘For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness”, made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ’.
Here, Paul is comparing the glory of God that was reflected in the face of Moses, (which was veiled to its beholders because of its fading nature) with the glory of God that is reflected in the face of Christ. This glory is unveiled, unfading, and far more glorious than even the dramatic experiences witnessed at the burning bush, the Passover, the Red Sea, Sinai, the giving of the Ten Commandments and even the experience of the presence of the Lord above the Ark of the Covenant in the tabernacle. These were truly glorious, but ‘if what was fading away came with glory, how much greater is the glory of that which lasts’ (2 Corinthians 3.7).
