Rev. George Miller
Oct 22, 2017
Exodus 33:12-23
Sight.
To see/to be seen.
To hear/to be heard.
To know/to be known.
To believe/to be believed.
To see…
When Colin Kaepernick kneels during the National Anthem, what do you see?
A brown-skinned American man peacefully bringing national attention to the fact that 180 black men have been killed by cops in this year alone?
Or an overpaid athlete disrespecting the flag and our military?
When women post on Facebook #MeToo do you see the courageous act of individuals bringing to national attention the fact that at least 1 in 4 of our mothers/sisters, wives/friends have been sexually assaulted?
Or do you see an overly sensitive movement of political correctness in which you’re sure many of the women are lying or making more out of it then what’s really there?
When you saw Trump throwing paper towels into a crowd of people in Puerto Rico did you see a man who was acting presidential and compassionate towards citizens of the USA?
Or did you see a world leader out of touch and insensitive to the needs of his nation’s citizens?
What do you see?
What do your eyes tell you?
What do you hear?
What do you know?
What do you believe?
What does your heart say?
Today’s reading, based on the NRSV version of the Bible, is all about sight and the ability or inability to see.
Took a look at today’s scripture and the words “sight” and “see” each appear 5 times.
Clearly, the narrator wants to bring the ability to see to the forefront of the story.
See- this is a glimpse into the intimate relationship that God and Moses shared. We are given a chance to witness the kind of relationship they had, in which Moses and God talked as if they were old, dear friends.
God has set the Israelites free- an act of spiritual, physical, and political liberation. And now they are about to leave Mt. Sinai to wander through the wilderness, towards the Promised Land.
At first God was going to leave them on their own, but Moses says “Umm-hmmm God, we ain’t going nowhere without you. See- we want the whole world to know what a mighty God we serve.”
So God acquiesces with one caveat- “I will let all my goodness pass before you, but you cannot see my face.”
Why?
Why can’t the face of God be seen? People have pondered this question for centuries, and people will have to ponder it for many centuries to come.
Because today we’re not going to talk about the “why?” That’s a mystery best left for you to walk around with.
Today we are going to talk about the “what?” As in “What do you see?”
See- as Christians we make a rather radical claim. A claim that although God is transcendent and invisible, we can actually catch a glimpse of God in Jesus Christ, Emmanuel.
The faithful have believed that if you want to know who God is- look to Jesus. If you want to know the extent of God’s grace and mercy- look to Jesus.
If you want to see what the love of God looks like- look to Jesus and what he did, how he interacted with others, and even how he died.
Emmanuel- meaning God with Us.
Look to Jesus, and what do we see?
We saw a time in which the disciples were in a boat, facing a horrible storm, and they were terribly afraid.
What did we see Jesus do?
He came down from the mountain, walked across the water, spoke words of comfort, got into the boat, and took them to the other side.
Look to Jesus, and what do we see?
A time when he met a foreign woman with a daughter in need, and although he was a bit slow to help, he engaged the woman in dialogue, hearing her out.
As a result, Jesus learned something from her, and he offered wholeness and healing to both mother and daughter.
Look to Jesus, and what do we see?
A brown-skinned middle-eastern man who was falsely arrested, brought before the courts on trumped up charges, and unfairly executed in a public manner in which some spectators ridiculed him, some ignored his pain, and others said he only had himself to blame.
Look to Jesus, and what do you see?
If Jesus Christ is the Son of God, Emmanuel, what do we see in him that allows you to better see, hear, and know the Most Holy of Holies???
…Sight.
To see/to be seen.
To hear/to be heard.
To know/to be known.
To believe/to be believed.
To see…
If Jesus was here today and you saw him kneeling during the National Anthem would you try to understand why or would you condemn his actions?
If Jesus was on Facebook today and posted #MeToo would you believe him or disregard his testimony?
If Jesus was in Puerto Rico, do you think you would see him throw paper towels into the masses or could you see him doing something else?
What does it mean to be a Christian?
What does it mean to say we follow Christ?
What do you think we see in the life and ministry of Jesus Christ, God With Us, Emmanuel?
What do we hear?
What do we know?
What do we believe?
What do we see???
Amen & amen.
A UCC Pastor's walk through the spiritual waters of Scripture, pop culture and life.
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