Scripture:
For the past few weeks, our adult worship and some of our children's classes have been following Moses' life through the book of Exodus. In today's reading, we approach the end of his life. Moses is in great pain over the way his people have rebelled, and abandoned God. He believes his life might end in failure. With little to lose, Moses turns to God, and puts everything on the line. Listen to God's surprising response, found in the 33rd chapter of Exodus, verses 12-23:

[12]Moses said to the LORD, "See, you have said to me, 'Bring up this people'; but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. Yet you have said, 'I know you by name, and you have also found favor in my sight.' [13] Now if I have found favor in your sight, show me your ways, so that I may know you and find favor in your sight. Consider too that this nation is your people." [14] He said, "My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest." [15] And he said to him, "If your presence will not go, do not carry us up from here. [16] For how shall it be known that I have found favor in your sight, I and your people, unless you go with us? In this way, we shall be distinct, I and your people, from every people on the face of the earth."

[17] The LORD said to Moses, "I will do the very thing that you have asked; for you have found favor in my sight, and I know you by name." [18] Moses said, "Show me your glory, I pray." [19] And [God] said, "I will make all my goodness pass before you, and will proclaim before you the name, 'The LORD'; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. [20] But," [God] said, "you cannot see my face; for no one shall see me and live." [21] And the LORD continued, "See, there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock; [22] and while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by; [23] then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back; but my face shall not be seen."

Just as we are interested in the tax policies of Dole and Clinton with election day drawing near, Jesus' contemporaries, particularly those in Judea, were concerned about their taxes. Rome taxed the Judeans directly, and forced them to pay in Roman coin. Whether they agreed or disagreed, they knew what was Caesar's claim on them.

Enter Jesus. They try to lure him into refereeing the debate about what should be rendered unto Caesar. Instead, he focuses our attention on what it would mean to render unto God the things that are God's -- a topic we will return to in next Sunday's stewardship sermon. Jesus' enigmatic response can be found in all three of the Synoptic Gospels. Today, we read from Matthew, Chapter 22, beginning with the 15th verse.

[15]Then the Pharisees went and plotted to entrap [Jesus] in what he said. [16] So they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, "Teacher, we know that you are sincere, and teach the way of God in accordance with truth, and show deference to no one; for you do not regard people with partiality. [17] Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?"

[18] But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, "Why are you putting me to the test, you hypocrites? [19] Show me the coin used for the tax." And they brought him a denarius. [20] Then he said to them, "Whose head is this, and whose title?" [21] They answered, "The emperor's." Then he said to them, "Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor's, and to God the things that are God's." [22] When they heard this, they were amazed; and they left him and went away.

Sermon:


One of the great privileges and responsibilities of being a minister is that we are often asked to be present alongside members of the congregation as they face life's most stressful moments. Some of these moments involve joy. While chaplain at Northfield Mount Hermon School, I was often the first to be called when a senior was admitted to his or her first-choice college. Ministers frequently share in the joy of marriage; and the blessing of birth.

At least as often, we ministers offer comfort and consolation to those who are awash on life's rocky shoals:

What I have witnessed in each of these circumstances is the profound desire -- whether it is driven by joy, or sorrow, or desperation -- the profound desire to be in relationship with God.

Under normal circumstances, few of us pay much attention to our relationship with God. We often shrink from using traditional religious language to describe our experience -- ceding that arena to Christians who hale from more conservative traditions. Talk of prayer, or discipleship, or listening for God, or discerning God's will -- few of us are as fluent in these areas as we are when it comes to discussing business or keeping up our homes. It's not that we want to deny that we have a relationship with God, but that we find these notions awkward and alien to our everyday experience.

Well, I want to begin by saying at the start that each of us has a relationship with God -- right now; regardless of the beliefs that we hold or the experiences which have shaped us. Each of us has a relationship with God.

I hold this view -- knowing that we would each describe it differently -- but I hold this view in part because of who God is. As the Psalmist says, God shows no partiality. God has to do with each and every one of us -- from the downtrodden criminal in the prison cell to Yassir Arafat and Benjamin Netanyahu. For some of us, our relationship with God is highly developed. Others give it little regard. Just as each of us experiences space and time differently, our relationship with God is like a fourth dimension, available for us to encounter if we engage the opportunities afforded us.

That's what Moses does. He takes advantage of every opportunity to get a close look at God -- to speak with God, challenge God, confront God, reason with God, bargain with God. When it comes to relating to God, Moses wants it all. Moses insists that he be shown God's ways. And God conforms to Moses' wishes -- assuring Moses that God's presence will go with him, and that God will give Moses rest.

But this is not enough for Moses. He goes on to tell God that he and his people would rather die in the desert than go on without God's companionship. And in response to Moses' uppity assertion, God shows compassion and tenderness. God says, "I will do the very thing that you have asked; for you have found favor in my sight, and I know you by name."

But even this level of intimacy is not enough for Moses. He says to God, "Show me your glory, I pray." And at this point, we almost get the feeling that Moses somehow has the upper hand. It's as if God wants to give in to Moses' request. But in the end, God draws the line. "You cannot see my face, for no one shall see me and live." Yet God could not let it end there. In this remarkable encounter in which Moses' intimacy with God is pushed to the limit, God takes it one step farther. God instructs Moses to stand on a nearby rock, and proceeds to pass by Moses, shielding Moses with an almighty hand, and finally removing the hand, to reveal God's back.

Rabbi Harold Kushner, whose book When Bad Things Happen to Good People many of you have read, views this encounter as the most obscure in all of scripture. But I think we can make sense out of it if we recognize that God is offering Moses an opportunity to connect with a reflection of God -- not to encounter God head on -- but to lay eyes on God's after-glow . . . God's back.

This dialog, this encounter, did not just arise out of nothing. From his earliest days, Moses perceived and accepted the presence of God in his life. He spent his life paying attention to God -- opening himself in new ways to the call and challenges which God placed before him. Moses did not struggle to find time "to fit God in" to an otherwise busy life the way I sometimes feel I'm doing. Moses worked on making himself mindful of the relationship which his Creator established with him at his birth, and which the spirit maintained throughout his life.

All of this preparation provided added momentum when the stakes grew higher. Moses' leadership -- his entire project to lead the people out of Egypt to the promised land -- was being challenged by those in his tribe who doubted, and did not accept the truth of God's promises. More than ever, Moses needed to call upon his relationship with God. And he discovered not only that he could, but that as the stakes increased, so did God's willingness to become accessible. As Moses continued to show faith under fire, God offered companionship like no one had ever known.

This remarkable story reveals to us a great deal about God's nature, and teaches us at least four important lessons about our relationship with God. The first lesson is the one I struggle with most. I often get down on myself for not making more time and space for God in my life. When I am besieged with this attitude, I pepper myself with questions which all (more or less) boil down to time management: If I'm going to spend more time with God, I've got to be disciplined enough to set aside regular times in my day to day life in which I do nothing but pay attention to God -- through prayer and study.

Now, I believe that my life would be more complete if I did a better job at what I have just said. And it would also be more complete if I exercised in a similarly disciplined fashion (after all, as Paul reminds the Corinthians, the body is the Temple of the Holy Spirit!(1)) But there's also a problem.

I don't need to set aside "prayer time" in order to pray. And I don't need to schedule "quiet time" to be with God. God's presence is everywhere available to me -- and to you -- on a constant basis. To build the relationship, I need to be more attentive to the presence of God in my everyday life -- reading the newspaper, talking with the bereaved, eating a meal, reprimanding a wayward child, washing windows, or being stuck in a traffic jam. God is just waiting to be engaged. The relationship is there for the taking. No prerequisites . . . and therefore, no excuses!

A second thing we learn from Moses is that our relationship with God can become as full and rich as our relationships with our most intimate family and friends. It must include the full range of emotions -- from humility to chutzpa. We don't need to hold back with God -- after all, God already knows what we're up to; and long before we experience something, God has already "been there"!!

A third point is that we would do well to seek God's companionship with the same degree of ultimate concern that Moses showed when he told God that he'd rather die in the desert than take another step without God at his side. Here we see real spiritual hunger. Moses knows well that anything worthy of being called "life"is not only related to, but dependent upon God's grace. He and his people were sustained by bread from heaven. You and I . . . . -- well, I'm drawn to the image described in the poem Footsteps -- a reflection often used in memorial services: just when things get very tough, and we experience ourselves as having been abandoned by God, it is precisely during those times that we are in fact carried by God, and indeed, our relationship with God is what carries on in our lives.

A fourth point to be gained from this story is the recognition that if we want to be able to call upon God for strength in times of real crisis, we have to put in our time with God -- week in and week out. I realize that many people report the effects of so called "fox hole conversions" and similar phenomena. But what we're keying in on is relationship. And like any other relationship, our relationship with God is dynamic. If it isn't nurtured on a regular, daily basis, it atrophies. We can't expect it to be fully developed and fully matured when our lives go into crisis unless we have been paying attention to the relationship when our lives are going along in their usual fashion.

I once met with a member of the church who brought to me a long list of concerns about the church building and property. After discussing what was on her mind for about 25 minutes, it was clear that from her point of view, she had only begun to address her concerns about the building. I soon drew that part of the discussion to a close, and told her there was something that I was concerned about as well. When asked what it was, I told her that I wanted to hear from her how her relationship with God was going. After a minute or two, I had received all the answer I was going to get. I then pointed out the disparity between the first part of our conversation and the last, and suggested that however much attention anyone gives to the building, we should be giving at least that amount of attention to our relationship with God.

So having looked at Moses, and reflected on the lessons from his encounter with God, how do we apply it to our daily lives?

Let me offer three suggestions. First, whether you call it love, or trust or assurance, the foundation upon which we build a life worth living is to be able to say with conviction, "I am a child of God. God loves me no differently than God loves Jesus Christ." When a wood re-finisher begins work on a new project, he sees the beauty, the strength, the integrity which is already there -- waiting to be brought out. Can we regard ourselves in the same way? Can we set aside the obstacles of low self-esteem, busyness, and lack of confidence -- and simply begin to "bring out the grain" -- to bring to the surface of our lives that which is revealed in our depth: God's love and companionship?

Second, let's ask ourselves what we think we're doing when we pray? Oftentimes, our prayers attempt to draw God's attention to our needs, or the needs of others. But let's face it: God already knows our needs, and God's heart is the first heart to break when any part of creation suffers a tragic loss.

An alternative view is to affirm that when we pray, we are opening our hearts to God the same way in which lovers open their hearts to one another. What we say -- the actual details -- matters little. Engaging the relationship is what matters. Prayer provides us with a regular reminder of our ongoing relationship with God, and its importance in our life.

And finally, a third way in which our daily lives can take into account the fact of our relationship with God is to encounter our friends and family, our children and parents, and even the stranger on the street and recognize that each one of them is truly a child of God. By seeing Christ in our neighbors, we practice the presence of God.

This is not always easy. I'm suggesting that we set aside whatever inclination we may have to write someone off, or to pass judgement on them, and instead persist in our attempts to catch a glimpse of the divine in him or her. Now I'm not recommending that we become uncritical, or jeopardize our safety by giving in to some idealistic, star gazing naiveté. My point is that we can continue to be critical and selective in our day to day decisions about the people we relate to -- AND we can ALSO see in each of them the face of Christ.

While I cannot speak for any of you, I can say for myself that the joy which fills my life when I live by these suggestions is truly inexpressible. It is unlike the happiness or glee which I am able to bring about on my own. As we live our lives with more and more awareness of the presence of God, time itself is redeemed, and our lives become more rewarding.

Yet I hasten to add that maintaining my relationship with God requires a great deal of my energy and attention. Hardly a day goes by that I don't need an attitude adjustment to remind myself about some of the things I've mentioned this morning. In the end, it's like any other discipline or habit that we try to make our own. But the rewards of this particular habit are both immediate, and eternal. Amen.

Footnote:
1. 1 Corinthians 6:19: Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God, and that you are not your own?