Christ in You, the Hope of Glory

I grew up Catholic and became Protestant, which meant a whole theology of presence changed for me. No more real presence in the bread and wine - instead, Christ is living in your heart. For years I thought that was less real, less powerful.

But Paul's saying something radical here. Christ's presence in me, in us, is not consolation prize. It's actually the hope of glory. It's how God shows up in the world now. It's the fullness of God made portable, personal, alive in actual believers.

That reframed everything. My body matters because Christ is in it. My decisions matter because Christ is living them through me. My presence with other people matters because Christ is actually there in that meeting. This isn't metaphorical. This is the mechanism by which God continues to act in the world - through people who are indwelt by Christ.