For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory…
By: Rev. Caroline Camp
Have you ever stopped to consider God’s favorite color?
A normative human eye has three types of cone cells, each of which can register about 100 different color shades. With these cells working together, researchers ballpark the number of colors we can distinguish at around a million! Even still, scientists estimate that there are ten times that many colors existing in the universe. In the tapestry of creation, there’s an abundance of hues and shades, each giving nuance to the story of God’s majesty and creativity. Out of so many colors, which one is God’s favorite?
I would argue that God’s favorite color is glitter!
When we pray the Lord’s Prayer, the last line is “for thine is the kingdom and the power and glory.” In this prayer, we have asked for God’s will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. We have asked for God to provide our physical and spiritual sustenance in our daily bread. We have asked for forgiveness and to be led away from temptation. We have asked all these good things knowing that God is the source of all things good. The kingdom and the power and the glory are God’s.
The glory and the glitter!
When I read the stories in scripture of God’s glory, I can see in my mind’s eye the light that shone all around! God’s glory is a radiant display of shimmering light, akin to the sparkle of glitter.
Glitter catches our attention effortlessly. It twinkles and dances in the light, captivating our gaze. Similarly, God’s glory shines brilliantly and like a bonfire in the night, draws us in. God’s glory is not static but dynamic, evermoving, and illuminating our lives with divine presence.
Think of how glitter spreads! Some people think it’s the worst because it gets everywhere. I LOVE it! I love it when I have leftover glitter eyeshadow staining my face after an LGBTQ Pride Parade! I love it when glitter sticks to my fingers and clothes when I lead a youth art day! I love it when my glitter heels peek out from under my robe when I’m preaching!
Glitter gets everywhere. Once glitter is introduced, it has a way of sticking around, leaving traces of its brilliance wherever it goes. When we allow God’s glory to shine in our lives, it becomes contagious. We become carriers of God’s light, spreading the love of Christ everywhere.
Glitter is messy, I’ll admit. I’ve had to vacuum youth spaces enough times to know that it is a force to be reckoned with. When we fully embrace God’s glory, our lives might get messy too. Our God calls us to examine the world and ourselves and to resist evil in whatever ways it presents itself. We are called to walk with those on the margins and to challenge those in power. We are called to embody the love of Jesus Christ.
Just as glitter adds vibrancy to our art and crafts or our clothes and makeup, God’s glory infuses our lives with purpose and meaning. It’s the divine sparkle that transforms the ordinary into the extraordinary – the mundane into the sacred. When we acknowledge that the kingdom, power, and glory belong to God, we recognize God’s sovereignty over all creation, including the glimmering beauty of glitter.
