Good morning…
As a member of the chaplain team at The Lovett School, my husband Steve takes his turn writing a devotional for the community. Up in the middle of the night now, I re-read the thoughts he shared yesterday. Please join me as we ponder this wisdom together.
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As Moses came down from the mountain with the two tablets of the covenant in his hand, Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God. Exodus 34:29
And all of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit. 2 Corinthians 3:18
Religion has a checkered history. All religions – Judaism, Christianity, Islam – all have chapters they’d rather forget, followers they’d rather not claim. There’s no way around it. Religious history is filled with examples of faith expression gone wrong. I once had a student ask me how I could be part of a religion with such a history. I acknowledged that my religious tradition does have an embarrassing past (and present). But I countered that religion at its core is not about an obsession with rules and crazy crackpots and violence. In fact, I continue to pray, preach sermons and write devotionals because I believe that at its very best religion offers us one very important thing: the hope of transformation.
Today’s texts are all about the possibility that God has the power to change us into something better than our current state. As Moses came down from the mountain with the two tablets of the covenant in his hand, Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God (Exodus 34:29). When Moses encountered God he was literally glowing in a way that was visible to all who saw him. When left to our own devices – untransformed – we remain hurried and anxious and selfish and mean spirited and unforgiving. But when, like Moses, we encounter God there is the possibility that we will be transformed into a glowing version of ourselves.
When I wake up every morning, I know that on my own I’m likely to be an embarrassing example of religion at its worst. Somehow, I manage to foul things up, usually before I even leave the house. But I also believe that God offers me the possibility that I can become “holy,” something wholly different. In fact, I believe holiness happens just enough that it gives me reason to continue to participate in this thing we call religion. So, today I invite you to join me in a prayer that God will transform us from what we are under our own power into an example of a God follower – one that glows.
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Every moment of the day and night, each one of us can talk directly with God, like Moses did, like Steve does. The Spirit of the living Christ draws us into conversation. Regularly. Honestly. Intimately. Over time we are transformed … our lives gradually becoming brighter and more beautiful as God enters our lives and we become like him (2 Corinthians 3:18b, MSG).
The light of Christ shining through us today is our best gift to this hurting world.
…Sue…
