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Transfiguration Sunday
I was visiting one of our shut-ins (Betty) the other day, and it happened that I arrived just as she was finishing up a Skype conversation with her daughter, who lives in Europe. Now, if seeing a 90 year old shut-in Skyping on her iPad doesn't shatter your stereotypes about the elderly then I'm afraid nothing will. Impressed, I asked her what she thought about technology like Skype, and the assortment of others. Betty's reply was, "It's nice to have, but it's no replacement for face to face."
Forbes Magazine would agree with Betty. They did a study recently involving 750 of the most successful business, and asked their top executives the same question I asked my techno-savvy shut-in. The result was 91% of them favored good old fashioned face to face communication, especially when it came to accountability, inspiration, leadership, and decision making.
So, here's my question of today's Scripture...If today's technology were available to Moses, would God still make him climb up that mountain for the Ten Commandments? That question is not as crazy as you may think. Even without modern technology, couldn't God have spared Moses the climb and the 40 days without shelter and food? Could not the covenant be miraculously brought down from Heaven in the same way the manna came, or the water from the rock? Why was it necessary for God and Moses to be "face to face"?
These questions push us to consider the Ten Commandments as so much more than a mere list of rules. Could it be that there was more to Moses' hike up Mt. Sinai than just to retrieve two tablets...oh, I should probably specify here...we're not talking about iPad or Android tablets...these were made of stone. :-)
I think it matters, just as the author of Exodus thinks it matters, that Moses went up the mountain to be in God's presence. Unlike the other gods of the Canaanites or the Egyptians, our God desires to be with us, face to face. God wants to be present in the middle of our everyday lives. The purpose of the covenant was so much more than just a set of rules. It was a way of life; a way of being the chosen people of God. My grandma used to use the expression, "No child of mine behaves like that!", whenever I would behave poorly as a child. In one statement she would condemn my behavior, and remind me that I'm her's...claimed and loved by her. No other god known to these Hebrew people, from the Canaanites to the Egyptians, would have reduced himself to claiming their subjects personally, or to subject himself to such an agreement with his followers. The ancient gods were just that, gods. They were not subject to a code, or covenant. They were known for doing as they pleased and for dominating their followers through fear and manipulation. The Ten Commandments is God's declaration that He will be their God...He has chosen them! Even more, it is his commitment to them of justice and love. This covenant between Israel and God is the sign that they are in the presence of the one true God, and that He promises to always be there with them. The "face to face" meeting between Moses and God for the sake of the covenant would have been to the Israelites a sign of God's eternal presence with them. Just as God was willing to come down and be with Moses, so does God's presence go with them in the covenant.
So, what does all this Bible study mean for us today?
Well, it means there is a text message from God about the necessity of presence with god and with one another That's right, I said there's a text message from God...the Scripure Text has a message for us today. :-)
First, in a world where face to face communication is more and more getting taken for granted, we need to remember the value of being physically present with people. It's not enough just to be Skyped, or emailed, or texted.
I volunteer at my son's kindergarten class every Tuesday afternoon for about an hour. One day, while I was sitting there at my son's table, a conversation broke out among the kids. It's one we've all heard before and probably participated in when we were that age. My daddy is a doctor, and he helps people. Well, my daddy is a policeman and he helps people too. You get the gist. Around the table this childhood competition went, until it came to Elijah, my son. Elijah, looked up at me, then said rather jokingly to the kids at the table, "My daddy is HERE!" I really don't think my son was aware of how profound his words were. But, I was. And I was proud! As a matter of fact, I can imagine if anyone were to see the look on my face at that very moment they might have seen that there was a bit of a shine to my face.
Same is true with God. Face to face with God is accomplished when we love others the way God has first loved us. Moses' face was shining after spending 40 days in the presence of God's glory and love.
Think about the people who have the power to put a shine on your face. Now, ask yourself, am I spending adequate time "on the mountain" face to face with them, or has our relationship been reduced to a few text messages, a Facebook entry, and an occasional Skype conversation?
Think about the experiences with others that has the power to put that shine on your face. Things like volunteering in a real servant based ministry, or caring for someone who is sick with cancer, or sponsoring someone out of an addiction, or maybe its just seeing your kids grow and mature. There are many opportunities that God gives us to "climb the mountain" in loving care for others, and all of these ways require a certain amount of face to face relationship building. And, all of these things will put that shine on your face.
It's love that makes us shine---God's love!
There's no way to genuinely love without climbing a mountain or two, and spending time face to face.
With Jesus, God reached down further than the mountain and Moses. He reached all the way down into our hearts, and showed us His genuine love for us on a cross. Then, on the third day, God came down again to show us His undying pursuit to be with us eternally in the resurrection.
It's the love of God that puts a sine on our face.
And, one day, we will all be face to face with God...and we will SHINE!
There's no way to genuinely love without climbing a mountain or two, and spending time face to face.
With Jesus, God reached down further than the mountain and Moses. He reached all the way down into our hearts, and showed us His genuine love for us on a cross. Then, on the third day, God came down again to show us His undying pursuit to be with us eternally in the resurrection.
It's the love of God that puts a sine on our face.
And, one day, we will all be face to face with God...and we will SHINE!
Amen!
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