“Oh Wondrous Image, Vision Fair” (ELW 316)
Devotion
Oh, wondrous image, vision fair
of glory that the church may share,
which Christ upon the mountain shows,
where brighter than the sun he glows!
With Moses and Elijah nigh
the'incarnate Lord holds converse high,
and from the cloud, the Holy One
says, "This is my beloved Son."
With shining face and bright array,
Christ deigns to manifest today
what glory shall be theirs above
who joy in God with perfect love.
And faithful hearts are raised on high
by this great vision's mystery;
for which in joyful song we raise
the voice of prayer, the hymn of praise.
O Father, with the'eternal Son,
and Holy Spirit, ever one,
we pray you, bring us by your grace
to see your glory face to face.
Early Christians claimed that Jesus was the long-expected Messiah. They also claimed that Jesus was God's beloved son, God's wisdom in human form. In the face of Jesus, crucified and raised from the dead, we now can see God's glory just as Moses and Elijah did. Jesus reflects God's eternal light to us. Jesus is a spotless mirror of God's working within us and throughout the world. Jesus is an image of God’s goodness. Although but one in number, our Lord Jesus, the Messiah and God's wisdom in human form, can do all things and renew all things. May we claim today the shining face and bright array Jesus manifests within and around us through the Spirit! May we claim throughout our lives the mystery of this great vision: that in the face of this crucified Messiah, we see God’s glory face to face and have a share of God’s joy and perfect love!
Prayer
O Father, with the eternal Son, and Holy Spirit ever one, we pray you bring us by your grace to see your glory face to face. Amen.