Dear Hope Church Family,
A journey we initiated in January comes to a resting place this Sunday. We set out to understand more of the life of Moses by walking alongside him and seeing the world through his eyes in the first 17 chapters of the book of Exodus.
What was impressive in commentary about Moses’ life from Hebrews 11 – that he “considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt” and that he “endured as seeing him who is invisible” – became even more impressive as we attended to the life that gave rise to these observations and conclusions.
Moses did not live in isolation from the real world and in separation from real people. Instead, we have seen him confronting the actual forces of evil at work in the world, immersing himself in relationships, asking the questions we all ask, and struggling to keep his ears open for God’s response and direction.
I have been devouring an interesting book on the power of distraction in our modern world. It is entitled, The Wandering Mind. The author turns to the cloistered life of monks and nuns from centuries ago to glean some wisdom and practical tips for keeping focus in our distracting, digital age. One monk she highlights is Simeon Stylites, a serious-minded cleric who retreated to the desert, climbed a 60 foot pillar, and lived there for 30 years. He explained that it was to preserve his holiness.
The holiness Moses commends and embodies is not one of isolation but one of incarnation. He paves the way for the Lord Jesus Christ who did not regard equality with God something to be grasped but humbled himself and became human to free us from sin and to restore us to the beauty of true humanity. Not on a pillar above the fray but on a cross in the trenches.
That was the God whom Moses trusted. That is God whom we are invited to trust afresh today!
Grace and peace,
David