Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. Moses could not enter the tent of meeting because the cloud had settled on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle (Exodus 40:34-35).

Returning to the Old Testament, Exodus concludes with an important Immanuel moment. Israel has spent considerable time in the wilderness around Mount Sinai. God has spoken to his people, given his law, but also been very angry because they rebelled against him. God and Israel would have parted ways if Moses had not interceded for the people.

Yet, in the last scene of the book God comes to his people in glory, filling the tabernacle so full of himself that even Moses could not enter.

In this episode, we see the heart of what Immanuel means. God coming to his people. Many religions are concerned with how we as humans, can find the gods. And granted, many Christians live the same way. But our God finds us. "Where are you?" he asks.

It is important for us to pay attention to this. God comes to us. That is Immanuel.

That does not mean that we always experience God's nearness. For many reasons, God may seem distant. Even Jesus experienced that on the cross, "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?"

These very real experiences of not feeling God's closeness, do not negate the profound truth of the Christian religion that God comes to us. That is at the heart of Immanuel. We don't need to search for God; he searches for us.

This story also portrays that God finding us presents us with a problem. We can't get near God. If God shows up, we can't survive. We can't see God and live as he once told Moses. There is always the problem of God's holiness, or is it the problem of our unholiness? Our sinfulness?

And thus, it is important to take time to explore Immanuel, God with us. We must keep digging into this theme that runs throughout the Bible. God searches for us because it is our sin that drives us away from him. More will be said about this later. For now, I want to leave you with two things.

First, Immanuel, God with us, is not a new theme in the New Testament. It wasn't something God came up with after a few unsuccessful ideas. It always was and still is his plan and desire to dwell among humanity.

Second, Jesus is not with us anymore! Does that matter? Well, yes it does. Jesus is not physically with us right now. He sent us His Spirit. Through the Holy Spirit he is spiritually with us. As he told his disciples, "I will not leave you as orphans. I will come to you" (John 14:14). The Holy Spirit's presence in us, makes Jesus as near to us as if he were here physically. So be not afraid. Wherever you go, your God is with you.

As you journey on, go with the blessing of God:

May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you, wherever he may send you. May he guide you through the wilderness, protect you through the storm. May your day end with rejoicing at the wonders he has shown you. May you rest in his provision as he brings night, and then new dawn.

A Sunday Sermon edition of Wilderness Wanderings! The text is Deuteronomy 18:14-22. Dive In discussion questions are below for further reflection!

To see this sermon in the context of the worship service it comes from, find it here on YouTube. Or, head to our website to connect with the worshiping community of Immanuel CRC: immanuelministries.ca

Dive In!

1. If you could know the absolute truth about one future event in your life, what would you want to know? Why or why not?
2. What is the strangest superstition or method of "predicting luck" you've ever heard of or seen? Do we ever treat prayer like a way to "twist God's arm" rather than a way to know Him?
3. Have we lost our sense of "healthy fear" or awe regarding God? If so, what should we do?
4. Does our culture have "false prophets"? (think about promises of happiness through money, politics, or self-help). How do we use Scripture to test those messages?
5. Practically speaking, what makes it hard for to listen to Jesus during a busy week? What is one specific noise or distraction you need to turn down this week to hear Him better?
6. For the next 24 hours, pay attention to the "voices" you listen to (podcasts, news, social media, friends). Ask yourself: Does this voice align with the Prophet Jesus, or is it trying to sell me a different version of the future?

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the father, full of grace and truth (John 1:14).

In The Message, we find this paraphrase,

"The Word became flesh and blood and moved into the neighborhood. We saw the glory with our own eyes, the one-of-a-kind glory, like Father, like Son, generous inside and out, true from start to finish."

In the Old Testament, there are stories of God visiting humans: Adam and Eve, Moses, Elijah. God came and he kept coming. Through the centuries, he appeared among his people. Two things were often part of those visits: his glory was revealed, and he called his people back to holiness.

These things come to fullness in the story of Christ's birth: Immanuel – God with us, come to save his people from their sins. Matthew tells it most plainly. Eugene Peterson writes concerning John 1, "the Word (that Creative and Powerful force by which the cosmos was formed and fashioned) became flesh and blood and moved into the neighbourhood."

Hebrews picks up these themes and spends considerable time punctuating the fact that Jesus is the final and grandest Word of God, THE Immanuel. He is God with us, forever. End of story! This is the glory and beauty Christ's arrival.

When we Christians talk about dwelling with God and seeing his glory, we often think about life after physical death. We like to say that when a Christian dies, she enters glory. This is alright after a fashion. However, it can cause us to miss one of the truths of Immanuel. What did John say, "we have beheld the glory of God." Jesus reveals the glory of God. And before he left his disciples, he promised to send them his Spirit.

Let me say this plainly, the Spirit connects us to God's glory, now, today. This is Paul's teaching in 2 Corinthians 3 which ends with, "And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit" (18).

Dwelling in the glory of God is not reserved for after death. It begins now. It's true that "For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face" (1 Cor. 13:12). So yes, there is a difference between then and now, but only one of decree.

Sometimes we see the glory in the gathering of God's people at worship; sometimes we see it in the face of a fellow Christian; sometimes we see it in someone that we serve or someone who serves us. But see it we do, if we have eyes to see. Look for him. Look for his glory.

Jesus is Immanuel. He is God with us. He is here with us now.

As you journey on, go with the blessing of God:

May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you, wherever he may send you. May he guide you through the wilderness, protect you through the storm. May your day end with rejoicing at the wonders he has shown you. May you rest in his provision as he brings night, and then new dawn.