From Glory to Glory

Magnolia Tree at New York Botanical Gardens, April 2022, Photograph by Katie Reimer, Used by permission

And all of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another, for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit.  (2 Corinthians 3:18)

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My first week as the Executive Director for World Day of Prayer International Committee has been full of excitement, apprehension, new learnings, and discoveries. I am astounded by the richness of this prayer movement. The vibrant history. The powerful guiding principles. The creative liturgy. I have been profoundly moved by the many ways I see the Spirit working within and through the World Day of Prayer. 
 
I have been listening closely during my first week with you. I have been listening to you - to your stories, your dreams, and your fears. I have been listening to our predecessors - to their vision, their wisdom and their legacy. I have been listening to the world - to her cries, her longings, and her openings. And I have been listening to how the Spirit is blowing in our midst. I have been listening closely. And I plan to keep listening. 
 
In the passage from 2 Corinthians 3:18, Paul is alluding to the way Moses’ face would shine after speaking with God (Exodus 34:29). It was clear to everyone around Moses that the skin of his face was glowing with the glory of God. As Moses listened to God, he was changed. In the same way, Paul assures us that we, too, will be changed. We will be changed by lingering in God’s presence, by listening to the Spirit. We, too, will be transformed from “glory to glory.” 
 
And so, I am lingering in God’s presence, and I am listening to the Spirit. As I have been listening to you, I have seen in your voices the face of God. I have already found myself transformed as I’ve started to hear some of your deepest yearnings for this already powerful World Day of Prayer movement. Your yearnings are now my yearnings. I smile as I write this, thinking of the journey ahead, when we will move from “glory to glory,” our faces shining from the knowledge of God. 
 
The only thing that is required of us is an openness to the movement of the Spirit. I have been humming a sung prayer that I co-wrote a few years ago with Jorge Lockward. In it, I hear the Spirit’s invitation to me, to you, and to the whole World Day of Prayer movement. 

-​ Katie Reimer,
​Incoming WDPIC Executive Director

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Here We Are 

Here we are, 
here we are, 
ready 
to be changed.  
Here we are, 
here we are, 
daring 
to become.  
Shape us, 
transform us 
​in your Word. 

Words & Music: Katie Reimer & Jorge Lockward © 2018 Katie Reimer and Jorge Lockward