(This is the second in a series of online worship sermonettes being offered weekly in the No Walls Faith Community Facebook group. If you’re interested in seeing the video or catching Sunday morning’s live stream look us up on Facebook. Online worship is organized using the Book of Common Prayer‘s Family Morning Prayer service.)
Today’s Scripture Readings: Exodus 34:1, 4-9; Ephesians 6:10-19
As I did a couple weeks ago, I’m looking at a couple of passages that were in this past week’s Lenten Devotional, that I felt speak to where many of us have been these past few weeks.
The reading from Exodus takes place shortly after God set Israel free from slavery in Egypt. God led them through wilderness to the foot of Mount Sinai to meet with them; and what God says to Israel, the people would have recognized as being in the form of a treaty. Usually this kind of treaty was made between a conquering king and a subject nation: “I’ve conquered you and now if you want peace you will do this…” but instead God says “I’ve conquered your enemies the Egyptians and I want you to be my chosen people, a royal priesthood…” The people are thrilled and say “yes, whatever God says we will do.” And God’s treaty with them is what we know today as the Ten Commandments.
Moses goes up on the mountain to receive the Ten Commandments, but he is delayed 40 days coming back down, and the people get antsy and start to wonder of Moses has disappeared. So they make a golden calf to worship – breaking the first of the commandments – and Moses returns down the mountain just as the party is heating up. We may remember the scene from the Charlton Heston movie The Ten Commandments: God is angry, Moses is angry, and he smashes the tablets of stone and God executes justice.
Ultimately God forgives, and Moses goes back up the mountain, which is where our reading today begins.
The Lord said to Moses, “Chisel out two stone tablets like the first ones, and I will write on them the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke. Be ready in the morning, and then come up on Mount Sinai. Present yourself to me there on top of the mountain. No one is to come with you or be seen anywhere on the mountain; not even the flocks and herds may graze in front of the mountain.”
So Moses chiseled out two stone tablets like the first ones and went up Mount Sinai early in the morning, as the Lord had commanded him; and he carried the two stone tablets in his hands. Then the Lord came down in the cloud and stood there with him and proclaimed his name, the Lord. 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. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.”
Moses bowed to the ground at once and worshiped. “Lord,” he said, “if I have found favor in your eyes, then let the Lord go with us. Although this is a stiff-necked people, forgive our wickedness and our sin, and take us as your inheritance.” (Exodus 34:1-9)
Moses has asked God: “May I see your glory?” and this is God’s answer. And isn’t this a question we’ve all wanted to ask at one time or another? “God, I wish I could see you. I wish I could see your greatness. I wish I could take a break from all the sadness and sorrow in the world and just be with You for a little while.”
God says to Moses: “yes, but…” God’s greatness is so great, and God’s goodness is so good, and God’s purity is so pure, that for humans to see God face to face – we can’t survive it, not as we are now in this life. In the next life, yes – “we will be changed” as the apostle Paul says. But in this life seeing God face to face is too much, it would overwhelm us. So God says to Moses, “I will hide you in the cleft of a rock, and put my hand over you to protect you as I pass by, and you will see my back.” (this is where we get the text for our opening hymn for today: “He Hideth My Soul… in the cleft of the rock that shadows a dry, thirsty land…”)
He hideth my soul in the cleft of the rock
That shadows a dry, thirsty land
He hideth my life in the depths of his love
And covers me there with his hand
The rock represents Jesus; God hides us in Jesus so that we can survive meeting God face to face someday. But back to Moses…
As God passes by God describes God to Moses: “The LORD, the LORD” – that is, “I am, I am” – which is the translation of the name God speaks to Moses. God IS. If we ever have doubts about God, all we need to do is remember God’s name!
God continues with the self-description: God merciful and gracious,“slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for the thousandth generation, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, yet by no means clearing the guilty, but visiting the iniquity of the parents upon the children and the children’s children to the third and fourth generation.” And Moses bows down and worships.
So how do we live for a God like this in a time like this?
The apostle Paul gives us some ideas when he compares the life of faith to a soldier wearing a suit of armor in our reading from Ephesians:
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel…” (Ephesians 6:10-19)
Paul says: “Put on the whole armor of God so you’ll be able to stand. Our struggle is not against flesh and blood but the authorities and cosmic powers of this present darkness. Therefore… Fasten the belt of truth around your waist.” Truth is what holds everything else up, so to speak. Without truth we are…exposed! “Put on the breastplate of righteousness.” – Doing what we know is right protects our hearts. “Put on the shoes of the gospel of peace.” We stand in God’s truth, in Jesus’ message of hope and faith and love, when we share these things. “Pick up the shield of faith…” that is, trusting God’s word, “…and the helmet of salvation.” Knowing God is merciful, knowing God accepts us and forgives us, protects our minds from doubt. “And the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God…” The only offensive weapon in a Christian’s armory is God’s word: nothing more… nothing less. “And pray in the Spirit at all times.” Pray for those in need; pray for those who minister to us; and pray for those who have asked for our prayers.”
Go into the week ahead in God’s strength, sure that God IS, and we belong to God.
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