SHOW ME YOUR GLORY
by Bob Wickizer
Show Me Your Glory
Bob Wickizer
Exodus 33:12-23; Psalm 99; 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10; Matthew 22:15-22
October 16, 2005
Moses could have chosen a very comfortable wealthy life as one of Pharaoh's elite inner circle. When Moses learned of his true origins with the Israelites he chose a different and much more difficult path. God called Moses out of his comfortable life to become the leader of a group of slaves.
At each point on the exodus journey of the Israelites, Moses receives an unmistakable sign from God: the parting of the Red Sea, the cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night, the conversations with God, the water struck from a rock in the desert, the manna and quail in the desert, the burning bush, the giving of the tablets of the law on Mt. Sinai and today's theophany where God's glory passes by Moses.
Most of us would be completely changed if we experienced just one of those encounters with God in our entire lives. Moses seemed to have a direct encounter with God on a monthly basis.
The central problem everyone has with God's calling and our discernment is that most of us want to seek and serve God, but we are never completely sure just exactly what we are to do. Then when we are doing something, we are never sure it is the right thing. For this reason I have often envied Moses. After all, God provided a sign for Moses at every step along the way that he was doing the right thing.
Wouldn't it be easier for the rest of us to be assured that serving on the vestry or working on the altar guild or gardening or working as an interim rector was exactly God's calling? Imagine that you are out trimming the bushes at church one afternoon and suddenly the bush catches fire (without being consumed the Bible tells us) and a voice comes out of the bush and says "Pam, you have found favor in my sight. Trim this bush."
Or imagine I am doing a baptism some Sunday and the altar guild managed not to put any water out for the baptism. Su ...
Bob Wickizer
Exodus 33:12-23; Psalm 99; 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10; Matthew 22:15-22
October 16, 2005
Moses could have chosen a very comfortable wealthy life as one of Pharaoh's elite inner circle. When Moses learned of his true origins with the Israelites he chose a different and much more difficult path. God called Moses out of his comfortable life to become the leader of a group of slaves.
At each point on the exodus journey of the Israelites, Moses receives an unmistakable sign from God: the parting of the Red Sea, the cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night, the conversations with God, the water struck from a rock in the desert, the manna and quail in the desert, the burning bush, the giving of the tablets of the law on Mt. Sinai and today's theophany where God's glory passes by Moses.
Most of us would be completely changed if we experienced just one of those encounters with God in our entire lives. Moses seemed to have a direct encounter with God on a monthly basis.
The central problem everyone has with God's calling and our discernment is that most of us want to seek and serve God, but we are never completely sure just exactly what we are to do. Then when we are doing something, we are never sure it is the right thing. For this reason I have often envied Moses. After all, God provided a sign for Moses at every step along the way that he was doing the right thing.
Wouldn't it be easier for the rest of us to be assured that serving on the vestry or working on the altar guild or gardening or working as an interim rector was exactly God's calling? Imagine that you are out trimming the bushes at church one afternoon and suddenly the bush catches fire (without being consumed the Bible tells us) and a voice comes out of the bush and says "Pam, you have found favor in my sight. Trim this bush."
Or imagine I am doing a baptism some Sunday and the altar guild managed not to put any water out for the baptism. Su ...
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