Dr. Jon Burnham preached this sermon from Exodus 33:12-23
on October 19, 2008 at St. John's Presbyterian Church in Houston
on October 19, 2008 at St. John's Presbyterian Church in Houston
We've been traveling through the wilderness with God and Moses and the Hebrew people these last few weeks. This morning we're going to listen in on another fascinating conversation between GOD and Moses. Moses starts by saying to GOD, "Look, You tell me, "I know you well and you are special to me. If I am so special to you, let me in on your plans. Don't forget, this is Your people, Your responsibility." Moses suggests to GOD that God is being coy, vague, obscure. Moses wants a road map to the future because he is the leader of God's people.
GOD says, "My presence will go with you. I'll see the journey to the end."
Moses responds, "If your presence doesn't take the lead here, call this trip off right now. How else will it be known that you're with me in this, with me and your people? Are you traveling with us or not? How else will we know that we're special, I and your people, among all other people on this planet Earth?" Moses seeks reassurance from God. A little hand holding. Maybe a hug. Are you traveling with us or not? This is a strange question since God has just told Moses that GOD will go with him and see the journey to the end. It sounds like Moses wants to pin GOD down. Get God to put it down in writing. And no fine print at the bottom.
GOD says to Moses: "All right. Just as you say; this also I will do, for I know you well and you are special to me. I know you by name."
But that's not enough for Moses. Moses wants more from GOD. Moses says, "Please. Let me see your Glory." Moses wants to see the glory. Moses wants to see GOD's blazing brilliance shining like the sun. Moses wants to be dazzled by God. We may think GOD will deny his request. Moses, a mere mortal, requests a personal demonstration of God's glory.
But let's not be too hard on Moses here. This is what we want, too. We want to see GOD's glory! We want GOD to demonstrate some interest on our behalf. We want GOD to go out on a limb for us. Especially when life crashes down on us like a ton of bricks. When a hurricane hits. When test results say the cancer is malignant. LORD GOD, show us your glory please! We need to see your glory because our faith is weak. We need to see your glory because we are creatures with eyes. Seeing is believing. GOD knows our need for intervention.
GOD says to Moses, "I don't you owe you anything. But if it means that much to you, OK, "I'll make my Goodness pass right in front of you; I'll call out my name so You'll know it's me!"
GOD continues, "But you may not see my face. No one sees my face and lives." There GOD goes again, setting limits. I'll go this far with you, Moses, but I won't go an inch further. GOD demands God's space. There is a certain mystery that God will not reveal.
GOD gets very specific about the details of this revealing. GOD says, "Look, here is a place right beside me. Put yourself on this rock. When my Glory passes by, I'll put you in the cleft of the rock and cover you with my hand until I've passed by. Then I'll take my hand away and you'll see my back. But you won't see my face."
In his song, Code of Silence, Bruce Springsteen sings:
There's a code of silence,
that we don't dare speak.
There's a wall between us
And a river so deep.
We keep pretending
that there's nothing wrong.
There's a code of silence
and it can't go on.
Some churches break the code of silence by confessing their sins in public during worship. I know, that sounds like a radical idea. I'm not sure I want to go there myself. Yet, somehow, we must tear down the wall that stands between us. We must forge the river that separates us. The code of silence can't go on. One of the things I've appreciated about the Centering Prayer group is the depth of the relationships that are developing. After sitting in silence with God, it feels natural to tell one another our hopes, fears, and disappointments. This is what prayer is all about, developing relationships with God and one another. That group meets at 4:30 PM on Sundays in my office and is open to newcomers. You may break the code of silence between us in several ways in this church: Through a church school class, singing in the choir, playing hand bells, serving on a ministry team, or visiting at a table at a brunch. Church is a place in society where we break the code of silence between ourselves and others.
When I was 13 years old, I wanted to break the code of silence between myself and God. Like Moses, I wanted to see God's face. I remember twirling in the seat of a swing set on the third grade playground of the public school in the small town where I lived. I was alone and I was praying for God to reveal Himself to me. I wanted to see God's face. I prayed with all sincerity. I begged God with all my might. And nothing happened. After awhile I gave up, stepped out of the swing and slowly walked home.
God tells Moses, "You won't see my face." Note the mystery that God maintains. God's design for a divine-human relationship is grounded in mystery. As Paul said, "Now we see God through a mirror, dimly, but when we die we shall see Him face to face. Now we know in part. Then we shall know fully, even as we have been fully known by God." The Bible assures us a fuller revelation about God will come to us after we die.
Until then, James reminds us that faith without works is dead. How we spend our money and our time is a measure of our Christian faith. Whether we pay a pledge or not, and regardless of how much or how little we give, we won't see GOD's face because we don't need to see God's face. The Lord GOD has already given us enough of God's self. Traveling with us through the wilderness to the Promised Land. And above all, coming to us in Jesus Christ, GOD's full revelation. Each Sunday in worship we proclaim our faith. We're saying God has done enough. We have learned trust. We share in the mystery. Remember the old gospel song:
When darkness veils GOD's lovely face,
I rest on GOD's unchanging grace;
In every high and stormy gale,
My anchor holds within the veil.
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand,
All other ground is sinking sand.
God wants us to learn to trust. To cast our lots with One who requires faith instead of proof. God limits what we can see and know about the divine mystery in this lifetime. GOD will cater to our desires but only so far and no further. Then it's back on us. Sometimes God chooses to withhold the divine mystery. Other times God does make Himself known.
One night God did answer my prayer. I was at a prayer meeting at someone's home. It was New Year's Eve. I consented to God's presence and action within with no expectations that anything would happen. But something did happen. That evening I shared in the mystery of God's love in energetic waves that seemed to spread from me to all eternity in both directions -- past and future. That experience changed my life forever. It removed my fear of death. For I know that when that final mystery is unveiled, I will find myself once again broken open to God's divine love that is stronger and deeper than any ocean on this planet. That night I did not see God's face. But if I had, I believe His warm smile would have welcomed me back into the arms of divine love. For when our baptism is complete in death, we are only falling back, back into the arms of God's love.
