Invitation: Come to me on the mountain

But God’s glory is still like a consuming fire

Exodus 33:20 [God speaking to Moses] You may not look directly at my face, for no one may see me and live.

Exodus 24:1-18 Then the Lord instructed Moses: “Come up here to me and bring along … Israel’s elders. All of you must worship at a distance. Only Moses is allowed to come near to the Lord. … Then Moses and the elders climbed up the mountain. There they saw the God of Israel. Under his feet there seemed to be a surface of brilliant blue lapis lazuli, as clear as the sky itself. And though these nobles of Israel gazed upon God, he did not destroy them. In fact, they ate a covenant meal, eating and drinking in his presence. Then the Lord said to Moses, “Come up to me on the mountain. … Then Moses climbed up the mountain and the cloud covered it. And the glory of the Lord settled down on Mount Sinai … To the Israelites at the foot of the mountain, the glory of the Lord appeared at the summit like a consuming fire.

Hebrews 4:16; 12:28-29 Let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. … Let us be thankful and please God by worshiping him with holy fear and awe. For our God is a consuming fire.

“I (Derry) walked from the garden back to the inn deep in thought, trailing Desta and [twelve-year-old] Jesus whose conversation I couldn’t hear … ‘Son has all the power in the universe’ [Derry thought] … ‘Even as a human. He can just lift his little finger and—’ At that moment, Jesus turned around and stood waiting for me to catch up to him. I caught his glance and threw myself to the ground before him in worship. Could people not see that this—this twelve-year-old boy—was the King of kings and Lord of lords, eternally one with Father and Spirit, his human body disguising magnificence beyond imagination?

“I trembled so much that the boy Jesus, two feet shorter than me, had to steady me as he pulled me up. ‘I don’t want to attract attention,’ he whispered, nudging me to walk between him and Desta. My body tingled as his touch strengthened me.” Three-in-One, page 73

Writing Three-in-One confronted me with how casually and informally I treat God.How I take for granted the access to him Jesus provided for us, eternally codified in the top-to-bottom tearing of the four-inch-thick* curtain shielding God’s glory in the Most Holy Place of the Temple the moment Jesus died. Derry lives in Heaven. One accidental glimpse of God’s glory was enough to blind him in chapter 1. Through his puzzled eyes, the mystery of Incarnation became viscerally overwhelming to me.

The wonder of Exodus 24 is the exception God made this one time, that people could see him and live. Isaiah also experienced this wonder and was overcome by it (Isaiah 6:5).

And God has not changed: His glory still blindingly bright; his greatness unfathomable to us. It’s only because Son made himself small enough to fit within a human body that we can see God and live.

So when I hear his invitation to come to him on the mountain, I now climb with awe and reverence and a powerful desire simply to worship. My small concerns fade in the glory of his Presence.

Fire in My Heart, Timeless Hebrew Tunes

Countless thousands of angels

But God promises profound joy

Hebrews 12:18, 22 You have not come to Mount Sinai, a place of flaming fire, darkness, gloom, and whirlwind … and terror and trembling. … No, you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to countless thousands of angels in a joyful gathering.

Can you imagine being part of that joyful gathering, surrounded, buoyed, overwhelmed by thousands of angel voices raised in worship of the Lamb, the Lamb who laid down his life for you?

A couple of years ago, I had a tiny taste of what this might be like. I was standing in worship in my church in Pittsburgh when all at once, I could see into Heaven. I can’t explain this; I can only tell you what I experienced. I felt goose bumps; a depth of wonder I don’t know how to describe. Awe.

And gradually I realized: the angels were singing with us. They sang the song we were singing in honor of the Lord. I wish I remembered what that song was.

The time of worship ended. The vision faded. I was so overwhelmed I had to sit down. After the closing prayer I looked around me. Did no one else see what I saw? How could I ever describe it? Was I meant to share it with others? To what end had God given me this glimpse of glory? Was it for me alone, to encourage me in a time of sadness?

I don’t fully know the answer. Tonight, I feel I am to share this with you. Perhaps you are in a moment of discouragement, wondering whether your life will ever come right. Perhaps this second-hand peek into the reality of God’s “heavenly Jerusalem” will prompt you to ask for your own deepened understanding of the joy-filled wonders that await us.

I offer this as a gift, passing on a gift given to me, Heaven touching earth. May the Holy Spirit use it to bless you as only he knows how to do.

Shutterstock: Bruce Rolff

I heard the voices of thousands and millions of angels around the throne … And they sang in a mighty chorus: “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing.” And then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea. They sang, “Blessing and honor and glory and power belong to the one sitting on the throne and to the Lamb forever and ever.” Revelation 5:11-13

Worthy is the Lamb, Hillsong

Awe

But God’s forever love cost him March 25, 2024

Psalm 103:17-18 But the love of the Lord remains forever with those who fear him. His salvation extends to the children’s children of those who are faithful to his covenant, of those who obey his commandments.

The Hebrew word for covenant (beriyth) in this verse is a blood covenant, a compact made by cutting flesh. Jesus offered his body to the thorns, the nails, the whip—out of love for us. He paid the whole price of his covenant with us on the cross. For you. For me. He is the only one with whom I have this kind of relationship. Yet how often do I honor other people’s opinion of me more than his, enough to get my tail in a knot when I think they don’t like or approve of what I believe or do or think or say or create?

Litany of Penitence 11

For seeking the praise of others

Rather than the approval of God,

Lord, have mercy upon us,

For we have sinned against you.

Chatting with a friend this week, we both admitted we tend to let other people’s opinions of what we do affect us too much. As we expressed it, we give them too much power over our emotions. I used the example of letting a negative review of something I have written cancel the joy of finding out someone was blessed by what they read. I’m learning to ask myself, “Is my conscience clear before God? Have I, as well and faithfully as I know how, followed what I believe was his direction?” If so, even though I always have room to grow, I can live from a center of peace no matter what others think or say.

Holy Spirit, cleanse, renew, and grow my awe of what Jesus did for me. Shutterstock: LovelyDay

This doesn’t mean I can’t learn from other people. I’m talking about letting their opinion rob me of joy and confidence. My temptation is to criticize myself and become self-centered (preoccupied with myself) rather than nurturing a solid confidence in God’s love that fosters a balanced perspective of both myself and others.

Here are a few more texts I’ve been thinking about in connection with today’s confession: Mt 6:1-2, 16-21, 23:5-12, Mark 6:1-3, John 12:42-43. Perhaps you can suggest other Scriptures on this topic.

Love Ran Red, by Chris Tomlin