With Unveiled Faces
2 Corinthians 3:12-4:2
by Jim Westmoreland
Have you ever felt close to God? Or, have you ever experienced the glory of God and been unable to talk about it? Or, perhaps you have had moments when you felt very uplifted but didn't realize that you were in God's presence.
People don't talk easily about experiencing the presence of God, but we hear about makeovers of our hair, makeup, wardrobe and the interior decorating of our homes. Extreme makeovers have moved from the TV screen into real life. People are rushing to find a skillful plastic surgeon who will transform them into a younger looking more beautiful person.
Julie wanted a total makeover-hair and skin. She visited a "one-stop shop" that had a "makeover dream team" of doctors, dentists, hair stylists, colorists and other practitioners. The staff begins by mapping Julie's face to outline the areas that will require improvement. Julie will not need dramatic surgery for a few years so the doctors use Botox treatments to smooth the lines on her forehead and around her eyes. Stylists then color, cut and highlight her hair. A few days later, she returns to have the creases around her mouth filled with a newly approved drug and a foot massage. Then she strolls over to the dentist chair for a brighter smile. Finally, a makeup artist put the finishing touches on her and Julie's transformation is complete, well, almost.
She will have to return to the 'one-stop shop' in a few months to receive additional Botox treatments. She does not hesitate injecting into her skin one of the world's most poisonous substances to prevent her wrinkles from returning. The Botox will eventually stop removing the wrinkles and she will require surgery to maintain her youthful appearance. But Julie is not thinking about the future. Her thoughts are captivated by her rejuvenated youthful appearance.(1)
Manufactured beauty is a trend of the times. People hope to transform themselves from a dull, unattractive person into a glowing beauty whose radiance attracts everyone's attention. They believe that a physical makeover will translate into a better job, an improved self-image and a happier life.
Ironically, this makeover rage is limited to the physical features of the person. Few practitioners require or even include, counseling to treat the related emotional or spiritual issues. Character development is buried by the glittering images of seductive lips, smoother skin, thinner hips and larger breasts.
The apostle Paul was very familiar with makeovers but he preferred spiritual transformations to the physical ones. In his letter to the Corinthians, he indicates his awareness of two previous transformations. The apostle's first reference is to the story of the giving of the Law to the nation of Israel (Exodus 34:33). Having spent time with God, on the mountain, Moses' appearance is transformed and he radiates the glory of God. After delivering the Law to the people, he covers his face, the way performers move go "back stage" to remove their makeup. Witnessing the glow slowly fade would shatter the original image.
In his reference to "the Lord's glory," Paul displays a faint reference to another mountain top event when Jesus was transfigured and stood with Moses and Elijah before Peter, James and John. With these two references, Paul reminds the church in Corinth that their faith was not based upon a stale religion but a living experience that transforms.
Dallas Willard observes that "What we see around us today of the "usual" Christian life could easily make us think that spiritual transformation is simply impossible. Social scientists tell us that surveys indicate little difference between Christians and non-Christians in the areas of morality and ethics. The public failure of Christian leaders raises significant questions about the possibility of genuine transformation for real human beings. This has caused many to accept the low level of spirituality among Christians as the norm. They believe that the most Christ-like attitude will offer acceptance and affirmation. Anything less than mutual tolerance and forbearance is considered judgmental legalism.
Paul had a different vision of the Christian life. He would never reduce the faith to a list of do's and don'ts, but he also would not accept a faith that justified the status quo. In the minds and expectations of early Christians was this simple understanding: "When God works in the life of a person, change happens." The old person dies and a new person is born. Human frailty is lifted up by divine strength. When the weakness of the flesh surrenders to the power of the Spirit, the inner person, once plagued by envy, greed, lust and doubt is changed to reflect the character of Christ. Someone once said, "In Christ mankind is allowed to see, not only the radiance of God's glory, but also the true image of man."(2)
In the letter known as 2 Corinthians (which was probably really Paul's fourth letter to the Corinthians), Paul makes reference to Moses who experienced the glory of God. It was an awesome event for Moses, and he was so overwhelmed by it all that he had to cover his face. When Jesus was transfigured he too was in the presence of God, however unlike Moses, Jesus did not have to cover his face, because he is God.
In the movie, "O God" starring John Denver and George Burns there is a scene where John Denver is in the shower. When he steps out he sees Burns, who is dressed as an old man wearing a fishing hat. Denver says, "So this is what God looks like?" But Burns responds by saying, "If I appeared as I really am, you couldn't handle it." The reason being of course is that God is beyond our comprehension. We are finite, and He is Eternal. We are limited in our knowledge and abilities, He is Transcendent and without limits. He loves us deeply and intimately, and yet, He is like a refiner's fire that burns away our imperfections.
Paul, however wants his church friends at Corinth to realize that although God is beyond our understanding, God can still be revealed to us. He illustrates this by contrasting Moses on Mt. Sinai to the Mt. of Olives' event of Jesus that we call the Transfiguration.
Paul writes, "Indeed, to this very day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their minds; but when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the lord is, there is freedom. And all of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in some mirror, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another."
Only in Christ is the veil set aside. Our minds, once hardened and clouded, are set free. Our lives begin to change. We may think that change is negative, but, when it is Christ that is leading us, then he brings life and fullness to us.
Somerset Maugham, the English writer, once wrote a story about a custodian at St. Peter's Church in London.
One day a young vicar discovered that the custodian was illiterate and fired him. Jobless, the man invested his meager savings in a tiny tobacco shop, where he prospered, bought another, expanded, and ended up with a chain of tobacco stores worth several hundred thousand dollars.
One day the man's banker said, "You've done well for an illiterate, but where would you be if you could read and write?"
"Well," replied the man, "I'd still be custodian of St. Peter's Church in Neville Square!"
"When one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. Now where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom." What we fear or object to or resist may be God's joy and fulness of life.
There was something about the Christian experience that Paul knew deeply. He knew that he had been part of the loud and violent opposition to Christianity. He knew that he could quote his bloodline, his works of righteousness, his sincerity in opposing the Christ followers. But, his life had changed. He described the reason for the dramatic change in his life with the word, Hope.
Hope is a very powerful word, and an even more powerful emotion. Paul began this section with these words, "Since we have such a hope, we act with great boldness."
Our unveiled faces are an expression of our boldness. We are bold because we have experienced the transforming love of Christ. God has loved us and given us freedom and power to make our lives knew in Him. Because we are full of His hope, we are not ashamed. Rather, our faces radiate the new life that we have received. We do not cover up our faith with a veil of withdrawal and privacy.
Rather, we live each day with our unveiled faces so that others might know the transforming love and power of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Century Christian Church, February 18, 2007 - Sermon by Jim Westmoreland
www.centurychristian.org
1. "One-Stop Makeovers", Airdate: Feb. 12, 2004, NBC 6 News Team, Online: http://www.nbc6.net/nbc6specialreports/2844032/detail.html, February 20, 2004.
2. A. M. Ramsey, The Glory of God, cited by Phillip Hughes, The Second Epistle to the Corinthians, (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing, 1962), 119.