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The Glory of God

“You are the place where God chose to dwell, you are....God’s place...and the spiritual life is nothing more or less than to allow that space to exist where God can dwell, to create the space where his glory can manifest itself.”[1] 
Henri J.M. Nouwen

The first reference to the “glory of the Lord” in the Bible is found in the Book of Exodus during Israel’s wilderness wanderings. Appearing in the form of a cloud, God guided Israel as a “pillar of cloud by day...and in a pillar of fire by night.” (Exodus 13:21) This manifestation of God’s glory sometimes appeared in the form of a cloud to guide the people, or to conceal His presence. Throughout the Hebrew Bible, God’s glory seems to dwell in holy places, e.g., Mt. Sinai, the tabernacle, or the Temple. Old Testament scholar Walter Brueggemann speaks of God’s glory as the “splendor of sovereignty.”[2]

This makes the quote from Henri Nouwen quite outrageous. That is because Nouwen says that we “are the place where God chose to dwell.” You might think “But I’m not a holy place. How can this be?”

But Nouwen’s point is spot on. St. Paul tells us we were buried with Christ Jesus in his death through baptism “so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.” (Romans 6:4) For St. Paul, our hearts and souls are a worthy place for God to dwell.

As I ponder Nouwen’s teaching during this season of Easter, I see God’s glory departing the empty tomb as Christ rises and seeks hearts in which to dwell. In this holy and joyous season, I pray we welcome God’s glory, making space “where His glory can manifest itself.” In doing so, we reflect the glory of God, not only to ourselves, but to others.

[1] Henri J.M. Nouwen, The Genesee Diary: Report from a Trappist Monastery (New York City: Doubleday, 1976), 53.
[2] Walter Brueggemann, Ichabod Toward Home: The Journey of God’s Glory (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2002), 36.
The Rev. Sharron L. Cox
Associate for Outreach, Pastoral Care and Women's Ministries
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