“Magic mirror, on the wall, who’s the fairest of them all?” These words are familiar to children of all ages. These are the words spoken by the queen in Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, as she gazes into her enchanted mirror. “Magic mirror, on the wall, who’s the fairest of them all?” The wicked queen looks to the mirror to tell her that her beauty is unparalleled throughout the land.
Mirrors are tools for reflection. They show who we are, both the positive and the negative. The queen looked into the mirror to see that she was the fairest lady in the land. And for a long time, the mirror would reply that indeed she was the fairest. But eventually a young lady came along whose beauty exceeded that of the queen. And the mirror did not lie. “Famed is thy beauty, majesty. But oh, a lovely maid I see. Rags cannot hide her gentle grace. Alas, she is more fair than thee.”
Unless you’re in the “Hall of Mirrors” at the fair or a circus, a mirror doesn’t lie. It gives an accurate portrayal of the person or thing standing before it. It shows the good along with the bad. That’s why we rely on mirrors not only for our looks, but for very important tasks. Mirrors are an important piece in many technological tools that we rely on for precision, including photocopiers, telescopes, and medical equipment. We use rear view mirrors for safety as we drive. We rely on mirrors because they accurately reflect the image in front of them.
In much the same way, we look into the mirror to see who we are, or at least what we look like. When I look into a mirror, I’m more likely to see those “little flaws” instead of the pleasing things. I’ll notice that my hair won’t stay put, that I forgot to shave, or that I still have a ways to go towards my New Year’s resolution to lose weight. I forget to notice that handsome smile, the gleam in my eyes, or all those other things that helped my wife to fall in love with me. Most days, all I can see are the negatives.
Sometimes, too, when people look into a mirror, they see the deeper faults hiding within their being. They gaze into the eyes reflecting back at them and say, “Oh, there you are, the one who can’t control his temper.” “Oh, there you are, the one who can’t stand up to her boss.” “Oh, there you are, the one who can’t seem to get things right.” In our success driven culture, we are often all too quick to condemn ourselves, instead of seeing the value that lies deep within each one of us.
Even within the church, we often focus on the things that we do wrong, on our shortcomings, instead of on God’s blessings in our lives. “Oh, there you are, the one who can’t live up to God’s expectations.” As a result, we fall into a false humility, feeling that we’re not allowed to take pride in the work that we do for the sake of Christ and the church. We are hesitant to share our gifts with the church, because we don’t want to appear too eager, or because there might be someone out there who can do the task we volunteered for better than we can. And we wouldn’t want to be known as thinking that we’re better than we really are, so we assume that we’re good at nothing, that our paltry efforts will do little or no good for furthering the work of the church. Or else we wait for someone to ask us to serve, rather than taking the initiative to offer our gifts in our Lord’s service. We say, “Why don’t you find someone more qualified to serve, but if you can’t find anyone else, I guess I’ll do it.” We look into the mirror, and see our faults, our shortcomings, instead of the gifts that the spirit has given us for service in God’s name.
There’s a scene in the movie, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone where the main character, Harry Potter, encounters an enchanted mirror, the mirror of Erised.
Earlier in the book we learned that Harry’s parents died when he was only a baby, and he was raised by his Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon, who showed no interest in Harry at all. He was forced to live in a cupboard under the stairs, and was regularly punished for things that happened that were beyond Harry’s control.
While away at Wizarding School, Harry encounters this enchanted mirror. Harry soon discovers that this mirror shows you your greatest desire. So as Harry gazes into the mirror, he sees himself standing with his parents. They are smiling at him in loving approval. When Harry’s friend Ron gazes into the mirror, he sees himself winning the championship at a Wizarding sporting event.
When one of Harry’s professors finds out that Harry has found the mirror, he tells Harry, “…It shows us nothing more or less than the deepest, most desperate desire of our hearts… The happiest man on earth would be able to use the mirror of Erised like a normal mirror, that is, he would look into it and see himself exactly as he is… However, this mirror will give us neither knowledge or truth.” (Rowling, J.K. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. New York: Scholastic, Inc. 1997) This mirror showed the characters what they wanted to see, not what actually existed.
Sometimes we trick ourselves into believing only what we want to believe, instead of believing the truth. It is no different that dwelling only on our faults, except to the other extreme. At one extreme, we tell ourselves that we have no faults, while at the other we tell ourselves that we have no redeeming qualities.
When we look into Scripture, we look into a mirror, a mirror that tells us the truth. Scripture, like a mirror, shows us what we are, both the good and the bad. Scripture shows us the error of our ways, and shows us the places in our lives where we fall short of the glory of God. All are sinners. No one is excluded. None of us can live the perfect life that Christ Jesus lived. Scripture shows us that there is nothing that we can do to earn God’s love and favor, nothing that we can do to earn salvation.
But in the same way, Scripture shows us who we are: God’s beloved children. In our reading from 1 Corinthians chapter 1, Paul says, “I give thanks to my God always for you, because of the grace of God that has been given you in Christ Jesus, for in every way you have been enriched in him, in speech and knowledge of every kind…” (1 Cor. 1:4-5) Paul thanks God because of who the Corinthians are: recipients of God’s grace and people bearing the gifts and blessings of God. When Paul looks at the Corinthians, he looks past their shortcomings (which he addresses later in the book) to see the gifts of God that are deep within them.
In our Gospel this morning, John the Baptist looks at Jesus and sees God reflected in Jesus. John proclaims, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29) John saw that Jesus was God’s Son, sent with the mission of reconciling the world to God. John tells us that in Jesus, we see God’s ultimate plan for the world, a plan of deep love and mercy, not a plan of legalism and condemnation. When we look at Jesus, God’s love reflects back at us. We see in Jesus God’s deepest desire for all humanity, eternal life in God’s presence. Scripture shows us that God’s greatest desire is for us to know the saving power of Jesus Christ, to see God’s gifts within ourselves, and to share those gifts with the church, and indeed, with the entire world.
There’s a story in Greek mythology about a young man named Narcissus. He was a beautiful young man, and he knew it. One day Narcissus saw his reflection in a stream, and he instantly fell in love with the reflected image of himself. What he saw staring back at him from the water was so beautiful that he couldn’t pull himself away. He gazed into the stream day and night, and became obsessed with his own appearance. He was trapped in his own ego, and he eventually turned into the Narcissus flower, left to bloom at the water’s edge.
Since we are God’s children, the world looks at us to see the reflection of God, to see what God and God’s children are like. If we are caught up in Narcissism, the world will see a church that is concerned only with itself, a church that cares nothing for anyone else, and ultimately will see a church that doesn’t believe their own teachings. A church that believes in God’s love for the world is to be a church that can’t wait to share that Good News with the rest of the world.
Since we are God’s children, the world looks at us to see the reflection of God, to see what God and God’s children are like. If we are caught up in false humility, the world will see a selfish church. They will see people who appear to be humble at unassuming, but actually thrive on the pride that comes from being asked. They will see people who care only for the personal glory that comes from having someone say to them, “I know you don’t want to show off, but everyone knows how wonderful of a gardener you are, and we really need someone with your skills to serve on the landscaping committee…” The world will see a church that is more concerned with hearing the Good News that proclaiming the Good News. As God’s children, what are we reflecting about our Heavenly Father? Do we reflect God’s love, or our own obsession with being loved?
As followers of the crucified and risen one, we are called to be saints in this world. We are saints, not because we are especially good or righteous in and of ourselves, but because we call on the name of the Lord. We are sinners, redeemed by Christ’s death and resurrection. When we look into the mirror, the only reflection we see is that of ourselves standing with Jesus next to us, loving us, uplifting us, strengthening us, embracing us. That’s who we are. We are called to be the people who reflect God’s light into the darkness of this world. As we are filled with the power and grace of God’s love, that same love and grace can shine through us and affect everything that we say and do. As God’s love becomes the ruling force in our life, that same love flows out into our love for others. The light of God’s love is so amazing, how can we keep it in?
We are brought together be God’s love, so that we can be God’s hands and feet in this place, "…called to be saints, together with all those who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ…" (1 Corinthians 1:2) We are called to be messengers of God’s greatest News, to live out God’s amazing grace in all that we say and do. We are to radiate God’s passionate love for all people, to share that Good News with those who have not yet heard of Jesus Christ, and to invite others to become a part of the family of God in this place. And when we live out God’s Good News for all the world, our God promises to support and strengthen us, so that the task of welcoming and inviting others into God’s place of grace might not be a life-draining task, but a life-fulfilling task. God prepares us for the task at hand, equipping us for that which lies ahead. Paul reminds us, "…the grace of God has been given you in Christ Jesus… in every way you have been enriched in him, in speech and knowledge of every kind— just as the testimony of Christ has been strengthened among you— so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ… God is faithful; by him you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord." (1 Corinthians 1:4-9)
Dear friends in Christ, embrace God’s love. Bask in God’s light. And share the Good News of God’s salvation that comes through Jesus Christ our Lord. As you go through your tasks this week, remember that God’s deepest desire is reflected in you, and that this hurting world so desperately needs to hear that God loves them, and that God wants to share this life-giving gift with them too. And as we seek to be about God’s work in this place and time, “the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will keep our hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:7) Amen.
