Shekinah

Last Epiphany

February 14, 2010

Rev Ken Wratten at St. Stephen’s

Exodus 34:29-35&= nbsp; &nbs= p; Moses came down from Mount Sin= ai; his skin glowed from seeing God’s Shekin= ah.

Psalm 99 &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; Call to worship God upon his holy hill.

2 Cor 3:12 – 4:2 &n= bsp; = ; Through Christ we see the glory of God with unveiled faces.

Luke 9:28-36&nbs= p; &= nbsp; Jesus’ transfiguration

&n= bsp;

Last week we read descriptions in Holy Scripture of th= e boundless majesty and power of our God. Today we read how just being in the presence = of God’s glory transformed Moses, transformed Jesus, and transforms ever= yone who follows Jesus Christ. Listen to this description of the power of God’s presence, taken from Exodus 33:18ff;

“Moses said (to God), ‘Now show me your glory.’ And the Lord said, ‘I will cause all my goodness to pas= s in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence. I wi= ll have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I = will have compassion. But,’ he said, ‘you cannot see my face, for no= one may see me and live.’ Then the Lord said there is a place near me whe= re you may stand on a rock. When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft= in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will rem= ove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen.’=

After the OT was written, rabbis wrote translations and commentarie= s on Holy Scripture. They were very careful not to ‘humanize’ descriptions of God. And so they described the Shekinah of God being made known.

God’s Shekinah is define= d as the visible manifestation of the presence of God -- often shown in the form= of a cloud, light, fire or combinations of them. It is the majestic presence or epiphany of God in which He descends from Heaven to dwell among peop= le.

Moses came down from Mount Sinai after seeing God’s presence – remember, not actually seeing God, but a burning bush, later a cloud, and later the shadow of God moving away = –visible manifestations of the presence of God. Moses saw the presence of God; and h= is face glowed from the experience. Moses brought the Skekinah of God down from the mountain with him. The people were so afraid at the sight of the Shekin= ah reflecting from his face, that he put a veil over his face to hide it.=

Jesus experienced the Shekinah of God on another mountain top. And = the experience transfigured him. = But it wasn’t just Jesus’ face that glowed. Matthew gives us more deta= il than Luke does; that Jesus’ face shone like the sun, and his garments became white as light. Moses’ face glowed from being in the presence = of God; Jesus’ whole body glowed, as though the Shekinah of God was fill= ing him up from the inside out, and radiating from every pore of his skin. At t= he Transfiguration, Jesus revealed his divine nature and the Shekinah to this = very select group; Peter, James and John. And they carried the Shekinah of God d= own from the mountain with them.

Jesus removed the veil, and revealed the glory of God to these three followers.

Paul teaches us that Jesus permanently removed any veil that might separate us from the glory of God; “All of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of God as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed.”

When and where have you seen the Skekinah? Have you carried it into your life, to empower your faith and to empower others?

Our agape (self-sacrificing) love for each other and for all people involves looking for the Shekinah of God in other people’s faces. God’s presence transformed Moses, and through him all of Israel who waited below the mountain. God’s presence transformed J= esus and through him, Peter, James, and John. God’s presence transforms us. God’s presence transforms water at Baptism, and bread and wine at Holy Eucharist, and oil at Healing Prayers. God’s presence transforms other people through the glow of the Shekinah that they see in our faces. It is a visible presence we carry outside these doors, and it changes other people’s lives, as long as we choose not to veil what we carry in = us.

The season of Epiphany draws to a close today. We have been looking throughout Epiphany at signs and examples of God’s presence being made known in the world. May we all experience God’s Shekinah with such po= wer that others see God in our faces. May we set aside any veil that might hide what we hold in us, so that everyone can clearly see and feel what it means= to live in God’s presence. And may we stay alert to see the majestic glo= ry of God’s presence in the faces of others.

Amen.