Dear Caldwell, would you do me a favor? Right now. I ask that you close your eyes and take three deep breaths. Breathe in through your nose and sigh it out loudly through your mouth. Seriously – do this as a favor for yourself, not for me. Breathe. Deep. Feel the Breath of Life fill you and refresh you. I don’t know about you, but I often forget to take deep breaths. With all the demands of life and work, family and friends, and all the responsibilities tied to all of the above – sometimes I forget the cleansing and restorative power of a few deep breaths.
You may want to get a glass of water and a snack. This blog post is longer than usual…
As John reminded us in worship this past Sunday, we are coming to the end of our sermon series from the book of Exodus. Because we haven’t been able to read every part of it together as a congregation, I want to share three of my favorite passages from Exodus with you here.
The first passage that I want to share with you is Exodus 20:1-21. This is the chapter where Moses is given what we call “The Ten Commandments.” Towards the end of the passage, the people of God who have seen the lightning and heard the thunder of God giving Moses the commandments and are terrified by what they have heard and seen – they say that they don’t want to ever experience that again. Exodus 20:21 says this: “Then the people stood at a distance, while Moses drew near to the thick darkness where God was.”
How often have we stood at a distance when the thunder and lightning of the storms of life happen? How often do we try to avoid darkness in our lives?
I am intrigued by the fact that Moses drew near to that thick darkness because that’s where God was. What if God is in the darkness, in the dark places of our lives, and we don’t have to be afraid of the dark anymore?
The second passage that you are invited to explore is Exodus 33:12-23. Those verses describe an interaction between God and Moses after the account of the golden calf that John preached about this past Sunday. Although God promised to give the people a place to live, here we read that God had decided to not go with them. As you can imagine, Moses responded with great emotion to God’s decision to not accompany them on their journey. In verse 15, Moses said to God, “If your presence will not go with us, do not carry us up from here.”
Have you ever said anything like that to God? “Lord, I don’t know where I’m going or what is going to happen, but if you aren’t coming with me, if you aren’t going to lead me, then I’m not going anywhere.” “Lord, if you’re not with me, then this journey is a failure from the start.” Is there any part of this life journey that you want to be on without the presence of God with you? My answer to that question is an unequivocal “NO!”
The third passage that I would like us to consider is Exodus 34:29-35. Earlier in chapter 34, Moses went back up to the mountain to receive a second set of stone tablets with a second inscription of The Ten Commandments. Why? Because in Exodus 32:19, Moses broke the first set of tablets after he saw the people worshipping the golden calf. What a story, right?
Anyway, in the final verses of Exodus 34, we read that when Moses came down from the mountain with the new set of stone tablets on which God had written The Ten Commandments, his face was radiant – “the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God (verse 29).” Once again, the people were afraid – this time because of the glow of God that shone from the face of Moses. When Moses was alone with God, speaking with God, he would take the veil off, but when he came out of the tent, Moses would put the veil on his face again.
Again, I find myself intrigued by the details of Moses’ relationship with God. I ask questions like, “Have I ever been so close to God, entered into such deep prayer and interaction with God that my face has shone? Do I reflect the light of God, the glory of God in the world? Do I take off my veil, the mask, the covering of my heart and soul when I am alone with God?”
What do these three passages have in common? They each involve direct contact, conversation, and communication between Moses and God. I love that I too can speak to God directly – that I can be with God in the darkest places of my life, that I can ask God to be with me through it all, and that I can shine the light of God’s grace in the world.
These truths are more than personal. All of this is true for us as the church, as the larger community of faith – that God is with us, in the best of times and the worst of times, and that we as God’s people shine as lights in the world, reflecting the glory of God everywhere we go. How are we going to let our light shine this week, from Sunday to Sunday?
Caldwell, I apologize for writing such a long blog post. But I wanted to share some of why I love this book, this account of God’s presence and power, these stories of God’s love, God’s anger, and God’s holiness with you. And I want to invite you to spend some time reading through Exodus on your own. You will find so many gems. You will also come up with so many questions.
Before you read Exodus, or any passage of Scripture, pray and ask for illumination, ask for insight, and ask for wisdom. The first chapter of the New Testament book of James tells us, “If any of you is lacking in wisdom, ask God, who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly, and it will be given you. (James 1:5)” So ask and then read. Seek and find.
This coming Sunday, I will preach from Exodus 35:30-36:7 as well as John 6:1-9. I hope to see you in worship.
Grace and peace, Gail