We have been exploring different layers of the gospel. This week, we want to see how our own beautiful lives reveal the gospel — God’s beauty in us. In the Western church, salvation culminates with heaven. In the East, salvation culminates in the transformation of the self into the beauty of God. Because of sin, the image of God in humanity has been marred and defaced. In Christ, God is transforming us into beautiful icons that reflect God’s glory. A line from Orthodox liturgy proclaims: “He has restored the sullied image to its ancient glory, filling it with the divine beauty.” God, the Ultimate Artist, is beautifying us, and our beautiful lives becomes sacraments of the divine. As we grow in works of love so beauty grows in us (as Augustine wrote — “for love is the beauty of the soul”).
© The Dwelling Place 2015
A PDF synopsis of the sermon has been made available for reading or sharing with others. It contains all the main points of the message, significant quotes, and some of the slides from the sermon.