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The Wisdom of the Body
The Word became flesh and made his home among us. —John 1:14, CEB This month the Read More
Steve Garnaas-Holmes | Read Exodus 24:12-18
We long for experiences of revelation like Moses’—maybe not with all the drama and special effects, though we must admit sometimes we wish for exactly those. We want the clarity and authority of the revelation Moses receives. Wouldn’t it be nice to know? Wouldn’t it be nice to see God, to hear God’s voice, to have Wisdom and Truth carved in stone right there in our hands?
However, the mountain isn’t bathed in clear sky and sunlight; it’s wrapped in a cloud. Divine revelation is shrouded in mystery. God doesn’t light the way for Moses; God calls Moses to come near, and Moses enters the cloud. Sometimes the light is for our heart, not our eyes. We long for clarity and certainty, but the light of God’s Word isn’t subject to knowledge or understanding. As the mystical text The Cloud of Unknowing says, God can be loved but not thought. God seldom reveals explanations or answers. God reveals beauty, grace, and possibility. God reveals sacred blessing hidden in mystery. God’s self-revelation doesn’t explain the mystery; it is a mystery. God lets us see the mystery and know it is God. The result is not less mystery, but deeper mystery and deeper trust. Ultimately God’s self-revelation is not a fact or a belief but a presence. It is God.
Sometimes the clearest revelation we receive is that God walks with us in the dark, and we hear God breathing next to us. God offers no words, no thoughts, no stone tablets. Just a loving presence. And even in the dark, that is enough.
Even as I seek God’s light to guide me, I pray for the faith to trust the mystery of God’s presence when the way is clouded and when the revelation itself is mystery. After all, when Jesus comes, Jesus doesn’t light the way; he is the way.
God of mystery, help me trust your presence even in the dark. Amen.
The Transfiguration is a striking manifestation of the union of humanity and divinity in Christ. In Exodus, Moses goes up the mountain to meet with God, and the divine presence on the mountain is like a consuming fire. The psalmist says that the presence of the Lord shakes the earth. In Second Peter the author declares that the truth of Christ’s message is affirmed by the glory that surrounds Jesus on the mountain and the voice from heaven that confirms his authority. In Matthew’s account, the revelation of the glory of the divine son of God on top of a mountain causes the disciples to fall down in fear. Moses and Elijah are present, demonstrating the continuity of Christ with the prophets and the always overwhelming splendor of God’s presence.
Read Exodus 24:12-18. When have you experienced God’s cleansing and transforming fire?
Read Psalm 99. How has God led you through darkness?
Read 2 Peter 1:16-21. How can you be attentive to the light of God in the world around you?
Read Matthew 17:1-9. When have you experienced God’s love shining through you?
Respond by posting a prayer.
