The Glory of God Revealed: Living the Resurrection
The Glory of God Revealed: Living the Resurrection
By Jonathan A. Powers
Happy Easter! Yes, we are still in the Easter season, an extended reminder that the Church lingers in the joy of the resurrection rather than moving past it too quickly. One of the beautiful aspects of the Christian faith is that in the life of the Church, Easter is not confined to a single Sunday each year. Rather, in the Christian calendar, the season of Easter unfolds across fifty days, culminating in the celebration of Pentecost. This extended season, also known as Eastertide, is a time of celebration, reflection, and renewed vision. In fact, the rhythm of resurrection continues throughout the year, as every Sunday becomes a fresh celebration of the risen Christ. It is a joyous season that invites the Church not only to remember Christ’s resurrection, but to inhabit it, for Christians are, after all, a resurrected people called to live a resurrected life.
During this season of Eastertide, it is common to dwell on the post-resurrection encounters recorded in the Gospels. These scenes are filled with recognition, wonder, and even surprise. They draw our attention more deeply to the beauty and glory of God revealed in Jesus Christ, the crucified and risen one. In this way, Easter invites us not only to consider what God has done for us in and through Jesus Christ, but also to behold God’s glory. As we linger with these resurrection accounts, then, a deeper question begins to emerge: what do we mean when we speak of the “glory of God”? It is a phrase that rolls easily off the tongue in prayers, hymns, and sermons. It is so familiar that it can pass by with little reflection. Yet when we pause to consider it, its meaning is not always as clear as we might assume. Do we imagine brilliance and radiance, power and majesty? Do we think of something distant and overwhelming, or something near and personal? The language of glory stands at the very heart of the Christian faith, but it calls for careful attention, both so that we might understand what Scripture reveals, and so that we might learn to recognize that glory when it appears in ways we might not expect.
When speaking of the glory of God, many early Christian thinkers offered a striking insight: the glory of God is seen most clearly in His act of rescuing those in need. Understanding God’s glory in this way fundamentally reshapes our expectations. Rather than locating divine glory primarily in displays of power, majesty, or splendor, it draws attention to something more surprising and, in many ways, more profound: God’s redemptive action on behalf of His people. The glory of God, therefore, is not merely something to be observed, but something encountered in His gracious movement toward humanity. It is revealed in His willingness to enter the depths of human brokenness, to meet us in our need, and to act decisively for our salvation. In this light, glory is not diminished by humility or suffering but is disclosed through them. The God who is truly glorious is the God who comes near, who restores, and who redeems. In short, the God who is truly glorious is the God who rescues.
This vision of glory comes into even sharper focus when we consider the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. For it is here that God’s glory is not only described but displayed. In the light of Easter, the cross—which was a place of weakness, shame, and defeat—becomes the very place where divine glory is most fully revealed. What appears to be loss is, in truth, victory. What seems to be humiliation is, in fact, exaltation. In Christ’s self-giving love, poured out for the life of the world, we see the very heart of God. And in His resurrection, we see that this self-giving love is not overcome by death, but triumphs over it.
This means that to understand the resurrection rightly, we must hold it together with the cross. Easter does not erase Good Friday but reveals its meaning. The wounds of Christ are not abandoned in the resurrection but carried forward as signs of redeeming love. The risen Christ is not a departure from the crucified Christ, but the vindication of Him. In this way, the glory of God is seen not only in victory over death, but in the love that was willing to endure it. The Church, therefore, does not proclaim resurrection apart from the cross, but always as its fulfillment.
To speak of God’s glory, then, is to speak of this pattern of divine life. It is a glory that does not remain hidden in the heavens but is made known in the concrete realities of human life and redemption. It is seen in forgiveness offered when it is undeserved, in mercy extended when it is costly, and in hope sustained even in the face of suffering. And it is precisely this kind of glory that the Church is called to recognize, to proclaim, and ultimately to reflect.
This recognition is not merely an intellectual exercise; it is a transformation of vision. To see the glory of God rightly is to have our imaginations reshaped, our expectations recalibrated, and our lives reoriented. We begin to look for God not only in moments of triumph or grandeur, but in acts of mercy, in quiet faithfulness, and in sacrificial love. We learn to discern His presence not at a distance, but in the nearness of His grace, in the ways He meets us in our need, in the way He restores what is broken, and calls us into new life.
As the Church continues to live within the joy of Easter, this vision of glory becomes both a gift to receive and a way of life to embody. To behold the glory of the risen Christ is to be drawn into His pattern, to become a people shaped by the same self-giving love that brought life out of death. This takes form in ordinary, often unnoticed ways: in offering forgiveness when it would be easier to hold on to resentment; in choosing patience over frustration; in showing mercy to those who cannot repay it; in remaining faithful in seasons that feel quiet or uncertain. It is seen in the courage to hope when circumstances suggest otherwise, and in the quiet confidence that Christ is at work even when His presence is not immediately obvious.
When we begin to live in these ways, the life of Easter begins to take root in us. We become a people who look for Christ not only in moments of celebration, but also in the midst of need in our own lives and in the lives of others. We learn to listen for His voice, to trust His nearness, and to respond with lives that reflect His grace. Therefore, the call of Easter is not simply to remember that Christ is risen, but to live as those who have been raised with Him. We are called to go into our homes, our places of work, and our communities to bear witness to His glory. For the God who is truly glorious is the God who rescues and draws near. And He sends His people to reveal His glory, shown and known in their everyday lives.
