Glory, glory! In two sentences Jesus refers to glory five times – his glory and his Father’s glory. Even though we may have difficulty in understanding what Jesus is saying, we get the impression that it’s an upbeat statement. If I were to say that you are looking glorious, you would blush with pleasure and modesty. In everyday speech we use the word glory to imply honour and splendour. But watch out when a vicar calls you glorious – they might have something else in mind. I would like to share with you the biblical origins of the word ‘glory’, and then suggest a challenging and inspiring way of understanding the word. 

In old Hebrew, glory means weight or heaviness. So, when I say that you look glorious I might be saying that you have put some weight on! But maybe we can follow the logic of this definition: Someone who had a good weight to them obviously was wealthy enough to eat well and to live well. The reference to their weight may well have also included their material possessions. 

So, a glorious person ate well, lived well, and had an abundance of material wealth. And so the word went on to mean importance and greatness. I guess the nearest modern day equivalent would be the word gravitas which implies dignity and worth. At this point your attention might be wandering, so let me move on to suggesting a further meaning for the word ‘glory’. I want to suggest that glory is a reference to our true self. In other words, we are seen in all our glory when people see us as we truly are. Someone might be a thoroughly good person, noble and of exceptional quality. Their moment of glory is the time when those qualities shine out and are there for all to see. Our glorious moment is when our inner goodness bursts out in some show of exemplary behaviour and achievement. We now understand more clearly the way Jesus used the word: It was in the selfless giving of himself, his servanthood and sacrifice, that Jesus’ true nature shone out. And in that humility, Jesus claims that we have been given an insight into the true nature of God – perfect in lowliness, triumphant in love.

So, finally, how can we be glorious? And how can our community be glorious? It’s when we allow people to see what we are truly about, because we have confidence that when they see the truth about us they will see true goodness.