Exodus 40:34-38 (ESV)
The Glory of the Lord
34 Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. 35 And Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud settled on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. 36 Throughout all their journeys, whenever the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the people of Israel would set out. 37 But if the cloud was not taken up, then they did not set out till the day that it was taken up. 38 For the cloud of the Lord was on the tabernacle by day, and fire was in it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel throughout all their journeys.
{Prayer}
Throughout the Wednesday nights of Advent, I gave three sermonettes based on theme of “From Darkness to Light.” The series was based on Isaiah 60:1-3 which reads …
60:1 “Arise, shine, for your light has come,
and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.
2 See, darkness covers the earth
and thick darkness is over the peoples,
but the Lord rises upon you
and his glory appears over you.
3 Nations will come to your light,
and kings to the brightness of your dawn.
This morning as we celebrate the birth of our Savior, we are going to wrap up that series. But instead of going back to these words from Isaiah 60, we are going to go back even farther in time. We are going to go back to Exodus and the Israelites who had been freed from Egyptian slavery for only about a year and who are now living in the wilderness. Listen to these words from Exodus 40 which will guide our thoughts this morning.
34 Then the cloud covered the Tent of Meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. 35 Moses could not enter the Tent of Meeting because the cloud had settled upon it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.
36 In all the travels of the Israelites, whenever the cloud lifted from above the tabernacle, they would set out; 37 but if the cloud did not lift, they did not set out—until the day it lifted. 38 So the cloud of the Lord was over the tabernacle by day, and fire was in the cloud by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel during all their travels.
With simple directions like, “Over the hills and through the woods to grandmother’s house we go,” one would think that it was easy to get to grandmother’s house. But I’d be the one to ask, “how many hills do I need to go over?” or “do I go through and into the woods or do I go through the woods to the other side of them?” But no matter whether I need to go over three hills or only travel a little distance into the woods, one needs to be careful because I heard that one year “grandma got ran over by a reindeer.”
Accurate maps and detailed instructions are important when traveling to grandma’s house or wherever else one happens to be going, especially if it is a place which you have never been before. If you don’t have the right map or if you don’t have the right directions, you can very easily end up lost. In light of my Advent sermon theme, you will find yourself not only lost but in the dark.
After the Israelites of old had successfully crossed over the hills and through the parted waters of the Red Sea, they turned around and watched Pharaoh’s massive army get run over as the parted waters came back together. Realizing Pharaoh couldn’t do anything to them anymore, the Israelites celebrated. God that day gave them this awesome present, a present of freedom. They opened this gift with praise and thanksgiving on their lips, but … but oh how soon they forgot about that present. Before long the people were grumbling about their living conditions and how they wanted to go back to Egypt and be abused slaves.
Only about a year after the Israelites had been freed from Egypt, after God had given them present after present after present, which they gratefully received with great joy but soon forgot about and returned to their grumbling ways … God decided to do something different.
Instead of giving them present upon present … God made Himself present. Earlier in Exodus, Moses is commanded by God to build the tabernacle. The tabernacle is like this portable temple. It had different rooms with different items of significance in them. In the back was this special place called the Most Holy Place. When Moses finished the work of constructing the tabernacle, a cloud covered it and the glory of the LORD, the glory of God filled the tabernacle. When the cloud was present, no one, not even Moses could enter. Through the cloud by day and the fire at night, God made Himself present. If the cloud lifted, the people knew that it was time to move on. Throughout the forty years they would spend in the desert, God was present.
With God showing His presence to His beloved children, one would think they would be grateful, that they would be thankful … but no. The people would return to their grumbling ways. They would return to doing things the way they wanted them to be done. For this, God would punish the people.
Sadly, take this storyline and hit the continuous repeat button because this is the story of the Israelite people throughout the whole Old Testament. God blesses, they praise, they go back to sinful way. And yet, even though the people continued to neglect God and take Him and His presence for granted … God still loved them.
But just like with the Israelites in the wilderness and throughout the Old Testament … at just the right time God decided to do something different. Instead of making His presence known through a pillar of cloud or a pillar of fire again, instead of having an isolated for Him to dwell in … God made His presence known in a different kind of present. It isn’t a present wrapped in fancy paper with a bow and placed under a well-lit and decorated tree. No, it is a present wrapped in swaddling cloths and placed on a bed of straw in a stinky and messy manger. The birth of Jesus is a present of presence.
The present of Jesus which we gather to celebrate this morning would literally change everything forever because at the birth of Jesus, God became like you and me. God took on human flesh and lived, just like you and me. Through his life, Jesus knows our loneliness, our depression, our anxiety. He knows our hurts and pains. He knows all of our temptations. He knows everything we go through because he has been there, he’s done it, and he has the scars to prove it. Jesus has gone through everything you and I have been through and then some.
Born in the dark shadows of a manger in the tiny town of Bethlehem, born in the dark shadows of the royal city of Jerusalem … Jesus would shine. From the moment of his birth announcement to the shepherd by the angels, all the way through his life as he healed the sick, gave sight to the blind, cast out demons, and raised the dead … Jesus would shine as someone different.
Jesus went over the hills and through the countryside to give present after present after present to the people he encountered. The people rejoiced and gave praise to God … but then they would return to their sinful ways. They returned to the sinful corruption of their hearts as 33 years after the birth we celebrate this morning, Jesus would be handed over, mocked, beaten, and crucified. The present God gave the world in the manger of Bethlehem would be laid to rest in the darkness of death.
It’s been said numerous times … the Israelites story … it’s our story. The narrative found in the pages of the Bible is the narrative of our lives. Ever since the days of Adam and Eve way back in the Garden of Eden, God’s people have taken God’s presents and God’s presence for granted. It’s a lot like the presents we get this time of year. We receive them, we thank the giver, we praise them and tell them how wonderful of a present it is, and then maybe in a couple of weeks, if we last that long, we too are taking the present for granted.
And yet through it all, the person who gave us the taken for granted present … they still care about us. Through it all, through the darkness of hearts and dark deeds performed … God still loves you. For this child who is born in the darkness of a sinful world will on Easter rise from the darkness of death. This child wrapped in swaddling cloths and placed in a messy manger walks forth from the tomb wrapped in beaming white clothing and resides not only in the eternal realms in heaven but in the hearts of every person who believes in him as their Savior. Now, maybe more than ever, now is the time to cherish this present and share it with others for through this present of Jesus, God is eternally present. Amen.
The peace of God, which surpasses all human understanding, guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord, now and forever. Amen.