And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. 2 Corinthians 3:18
As presented on *The Lutheran Hour® by Dr. Oswald Hoffmann, March 24, 1957.
There is a community in the northeastern United States where centuries of wind and weather have sculptured one side of a mountain into the likeness of a human face.
“It was a happy lot for children,” wrote Hawthorne in The Great Stone Face, “to grow up to manhood or womanhood with the Great Stone Face before their eyes, for all the features were noble … as if it were the glow of a vast warm heart that embraced all mankind in its affections, and had room for more.” Parents would tell their children the legend that had passed from one generation to another: that one day a man would appear who would resemble the Face and who would embody all the virtue that the Great Stone Face suggested.
One young boy looked every day upon the benevolent countenance on the mountainside and longed for the legend to come true. Many years went by and his life was dedicated to the needs and welfare of his townspeople. Late one afternoon he spoke to a group of his neighbors. Hawthorne writes, “It was not mere breath that this preacher uttered; they were the words of life, because a life of good deeds and holy love was melted into them.” As he spoke, someone gasped, “Why, you must be the man. You are yourself the likeness of the Great Stone Face!”
This man who loved the Face and looked upon it so longingly had come to reflect the very image of that face. Even so, we reflect the image of Christ when we focus steadily on Him.
Jesus, draw us to You so that we will reflect Your image. Amen.
Taken from A Message of Hope: Proclaiming the Cross (selections from messages broadcast on *The Lutheran Hour, celebrating 75 years of proclaiming the promise).
Copyright © 2006 by Lutheran Hour Ministries
*The Lutheran Hour is the longest-running Christian radio broadcast in the world. It is a production of Lutheran Hour Ministries. For more information, visit www.lutheranhour.org.
Today's Bible Readings: Leviticus 21-22 Mark 10:1-31
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