Dear Christian friends:

All of us have looked into a mirror this morning to wash our face or to shave or to put on make up. A mirror perfectly reflects our face or body.

We Christians should be mirrors for God. Every Christian is a mirror for God to show His glory to others in this world. This St. Paul shows in the text which I have chosen for our inspiration this morning. He writes in 2 Corinthians 3:18:

"But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord."

We Christians should reflect or show the glory of God in our daily lives. But if we are to do this we need to know what is God's glory that we should reflect. God's glory is many things.

In nature we see God's glory. The Bible says, "The heavens (sky) declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands." (Psalm 19:1) In the sky, the moon and stars show the wisdom and perfection of God. On earth the trees, flowers, and fruits, the animals and man show the wisdom and glory of God. In the waters the fishes, whales and turtles show God's glory.

Since sin came into the world through Adam and Eve much of God's glory in nature has been destroyed. But even today in spite of the curse people still see the glory of nature. When we visit the Grand Canyon or the Rocky Mountains or see a beautiful sunset we often exclaim, "Oh how beautiful." How glorious!"

Truly the sky and the earth, all nature shows the glory of God! Also the Ten Commandments show the holiness and perfection of God and the glory of God. But we weak sinners are not very good at reflecting the glory or His holiness and perfection.

We have become like dirty pools or mirrors. We do not really love God and our neighbor as the Ten Commandments require. We become angry and hate one another, and seek to get revenge. We lie and steal and often are jealous. We often fail to show God's glory in our daily lives.

But God has not forsaken us in our failures and sins. He has shown mercy to us. And this mercy of God is His greatest glory!

This is what St. Paul means when he says in our text that we Christians "are being transformed" to reflect God's glory.

God has changed us by showing mercy and forgiveness to us in His Son, Jesus Christ. Christmas shows God's glory! The Baby Jesus lying in the manger in Bethlehem shows the mercy and love of God! Good Friday shows the glory of God! His only Son suffering and dying on the Cross shows the love and mercy of God for sinners.

Easter shows God's glory! The open, empty tomb and the angel's good news, "He is not here! He is risen!" is an explosion of God's glory! Pentecost shows God's glory! On that 50th day after Easter God poured out the Holy Spirit to give faith, forgiveness, new birth and new life to fearful, sinful man.

Indeed, we Christians can reflect God's glory because His glory has shined on us in the face of Jesus Christ. Isaiah commands the Christian Church:

"Arise, shine;
For your light has come!
And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you.

For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth,
And deep darkness the people;
But the Lord will arise over you,
And His glory will be seen upon you." (Isaiah 60:1-2)

St. Paul says to the Christians:

"For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." (2 Corinthians 4:6)

And Peter says to us:

"But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;" (1 Peter 2:9)

We Christians have received God's mercy and love in His Son, Jesus Christ. We have confessed our sins and failures to God and He has forgiven them and suffered them for us in Jesus on the Cross. By His mercy and forgiveness in Jesus we have risen to a new life. We have joy because our names are written in His Book of heaven.

Therefore we can now show love and mercy to others who sin and fail and help them to know God's love and mercy in His Son Jesus, our Savior.

Remember we Christians are mirrors for God in this dark sinful world!

Amen.