Seeing the Change—Exodus 34: 29-35; II Cor. 3:12-4:2
[SLIDE 1] Sometimes, change is hard. But sometimes, I’m incredibly grateful for change. For instance, vintage recipes that needed to change. No one should ever show up to the potluck with [SLIDE 2] salmon mousse festooned with peppermints in a horseradish sauce. Nor should you bring [SLIDE 3] tuna and Jell-O pie, [SLIDE 4] ham and bananas hollandaise, or [SLIDE 5] whatever perfection salad is. I am, at times, very grateful that change happens, and that potato salad is no longer encased in a miracle whip Jell-O mold to be served.
In our lives of faith, there has to be change as well. Now, some folks hear change, and they think that means rolling out a rock band at 9:00 and the pastor untucks his shirt then uses Gen-Z lingo in the sermon. But I don’t have the rizz to do that, straight no cap. When we talk about “change” in our lives of faith it is less about cosmetic updates and more about the growth within. There should be a maturing in the Christian who seeks to follow Christ more closely and live out what God has called us to each day.
[SLIDE 6] In our Exodus lesson for today, Moses is returning to the mount for a new covenant between God and Israel. This comes on the heels of the broken first covenant where the people were worshiping a golden calf. We hear that Moses’s entry into God’s presence changes his likeness in a very permanent way…a way that makes it hard for the people to look upon him. This is no small matter. Moses is one of only very few people in the Old Testament who got to fully experience the presence of God in this way. Moses, the one who doubted himself, becomes both leader and prophet as he hears God’s words in God’s presence, then translates them to God’s people.
There’s not really a good explanation for all this. The description of Moses’s face and the face covering don’t really translate well to English. We’ve gotten it as close as we can understand, but the word for “veil” is only used this one time in the Bible. Paul clears up a bit of the mystery, but this is one of those parts of the Bible where something miraculous occurred, that we really cannot explain in human terms. It’s holy. It’s the magic in faith that makes this more than a philosophy.
[SLIDE 7] But one thing to keep in mind is that God’s presence, makes all of creation different. For Israel, Moses was the mediator between them and God. God’s word through Moses helped to bring a rebellious people into a covenant with God. But what helped tremendously was this shining radiance from Moses’ face. It is described as them seeing a glimpse of God’s glory shining from Moses. And God’s glory was so overwhelming to behold that it shocked and scared the people.
Paul’s words in II Corinthians pick up on this theme of the radiance of God’s presence found within God’s people. For us, a Moses figure is not needed. When the Temple was created, it had a veil between the outside, and the holiest place of God’s presence. During the crucifixion, that veil was symbolically torn. Our faith and belief is that we have access directly to God through our faith in Christ. We don’t need Moses to go up on a mount, get instructions from God, and bring them back down. God speaks directly to and with us, leading us in a very close and personal way each day of our lives.
[SLIDE 8] One thing, however, is not different. We, too, shine this glory of God in our lives. It should be a bit startling, and bit unnerving to people, but in a holy and loving way. When people see us and encounter us, they should see that glory in us as we strive to live for God. Paul encourages the Corinthians, and through the letter, us, to never give up. We are to reject shameful deeds and underhanded dealings. We are called to trick or deceive others. We are called on not to distort the word of God, especially for our own benefit. We are to tell the truth in all things, and in doing so, whether people like what they hear or not, they know we are honest with them in what we say.
[SLIDE 9] People see God in our lives when we do small things and big things—fixing sandwiches for those who are hungry, a call to someone who is struggling, prayer for those hurting, and love to those who feel lonely. In each of these things, we reflect the presence and glory of God to others who may not have seen it in a very long time. A friend of mine has two signs in her office. She deals with cantankerous people all day long. The first one says, “Be kind, always.” The second one says, “It costs $0 to be kind.” She will be the first to tell you that she doesn’t always live up to it, and that’s why we apologies and repentance. But she has those signs in front of her every day as a reminder when she finds herself in a truly difficult spot with discussion and confrontation.
Paul tells us that wherever the spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. Now typically we think of freedom as the permission to do something we’re usually not supposed to do. My best friend’s toddler thinks of freedom as the freedom to stay up past his bedtime on Friday. We think of freedom as not having to choose the chicken and broccoli and indulge in the cheeseburger because it’s a cheat day. We think of it in our nation, perhaps mistakenly, as getting to do whatever we want. But for Paul, freedom was something different.
Freedom meant release from the bonds of an old, failed way of doing things. If the people wanted to know what they should be doing, they needed to wait on Moses to get an instruction from the Lord and return with it. Freedom, for Paul, was not something, some caveat, some exception we create. Freedom was a gift that frees us to be what God created us to be. Martin Luther said freedom was found in service to others. It removes the selfishness of freedom, the selfishness that often leads us to dark and lonely places away from God’s glory, places that require us to focus on power and cunning to achieve instead of grace and faith.
[SLIDE 10] Growing up, I was taught and came to believe that my responsibility to faith stopped when I believed. We pretty much only heard sermons about getting saved and not much beyond that. Belief is absolutely essential, yes, but our faith offers so much more to us, to God, and to this world. Moses didn’t just come to the people once, he regularly brought a word from God to the people. The same is true for us. Faith offers us the opportunity to grow each and every day, all throughout life. We’re never too old, too far gone, too advanced to stop growing in knowledge, wisdom, and in a closer relationship to God each day.
What do people see when they see us? What first comes to mind? Do they try to avoid us because we are so difficult and obnoxious that it’s impossible to be around us? Do they see someone who is sad and a little lost in life? Or do they see the glory of God and the love of Christ Jesus shining forth from us with hope, love, and grace for all? I’m sure at times we are all difficult. I’m sure at times we all have sad days. But in the end, it is the hope of Jesus that should win out because nothing else in our lives compares to this.
Sometimes I think we are afraid of change. It’s not the unknown, the different, but the fear of what we may lose, of memories that may become only memories. But I make you a promise, when God is the author of our change, we never lose, we press on to something better, greater, and filled with more of God’s glory. [SLIDE 11] If you never want change, then I dare you to eat tuna-onion, miracle whip, lime Jello-Pie…or perfection salad. [SLIDE 12] But just as our technology, culinary, and aesthetic tastes change and grow, so too should we grow in faith. Friends, God is leading us, so may we be ready to follow with that glowing presence of faith shining forth from us.
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