CHS Blog

Many of you likely visited the ocean or sea this summer. But none of you visited one without water. Our theme verse for this year is Habakkuk 2:14: “For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.” In this verse, the prophet Habakkuk envisions the glory of the Lord filling the earth, just as waters cover the sea. The Hebrew word for glory is kabod (כָּבוֹד), meaning “weight” or “heaviness.” Throughout Scripture, God’s glory is experienced as a real presence with weight. During times of revival, people often describe feeling this heaviness. But what exactly is the glory of the Lord? That question takes us to the heart of who God is. The glory of God is central to his character. A clear answer emerges in Exodus. Moses asks God to show him his glory (Exodus 33:18). How does God respond?

“And the Lord said, ‘I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion” (Exodus 33:19).

The glory of God is his goodness, mercy, and compassion—his goodness, mercy, and compassion toward sinners like you and me. This is an amazing truth! After this, the Lord speaks to Moses again. He tells Moses that his glory is about to pass by him.

“There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by” (Exodus 33:21-22).

How does God reveal his glory to Moses when he passes by?

“And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, ‘The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin.” (Exodus 34:6-7a)

The Lord is compassionate and gracious. He is slow to anger. The Lord abounds in love and faithfulness. This is how God reveals his glory to Moses, and this is how he reveals his glory to us! The glory of God is heavy. The glory of God is weighty. But it is heavy with compassion!  It is heavy with grace! It is heavy with love! And that is the kind of weight we need! But is there a place in the Bible where God reveals his glory even more clearly? Is there a place where it is revealed even more clearly than it is revealed to Moses? Yes. In Jesus Christ. We see the glory of God in Jesus Christ. The writer to the Hebrews tells us that “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being” (Hebrews 1:3). The Apostle John tells us that “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).

And this brings us back to the vision of Habakkuk. The prophet desires to see the whole earth filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord. Completely filled—as the waters cover the sea! This verse is the spiritual vision for Christian Heritage School this year. That our hallways would be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord! That our classrooms would be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord! That our chapels would be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord! That Christian Heritage would be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea! But our hope is that it would not stay within these four walls! But that it would go out into our community. As we go out in local service trips to show the love of Christ and share the gospel. And beyond that, may it go out into the world! As we go out on mission trips to show the love of Christ and share the gospel in other parts of the earth.

This vision has driven new spiritual life initiatives at Christian Heritage this year. One of these is the formation of a Spiritual Life Council, a group of students who will lead and plan various spiritual activities for the school. Their responsibilities include organizing events such as worship nights, evangelism groups, and gatherings like “See You at the Pole.” Additionally, a “Chapel Overflow Room” will be available for students who wish to continue worshiping or praying after chapel services conclude. In the spring, the school will host Spiritual Renewal Week, where we will pray that the Lord would pour out spiritual renewal upon our campus. As the psalmist writes, “Will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you?” (Psalm 85:6). This is our spiritual vision for this year. I am looking forward to seeing what God will do. “For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea” (Habakkuk 2:14).

-Pastor Vin

Pastor Vin serves as the Chaplain of CHS. He is happily married to Nicole and is blessed to be the father of his three sons: Vinny, Timmy, and Lucas. In addition to his role at CHS, Vin is the Teaching Pastor of his church. In his free time, he enjoys reading, listening to podcasts, working out, studying theology, hiking, playing video games, learning about history, and spending time with his family. Vin is a CHS graduate and is grateful for the opportunity to return to this incredible community.