Here’s an understatement.; religion has a checkered past. All religions, Judaism, Christianity and Islam, to name a few, have chapters they’d rather forget, followers they’d rather not claim. There’s no way around it. Religious history is filled with examples of faith expression gone wrong. I once had a student ask me how I could be part of a religion with such a history. I acknowledged that my religious tradition does have an embarrassing past (and present). But I countered that religion at its core is not about an obsession with rules, crazy crackpots and violence. In fact, I continue to pray, preach sermons and write devotionals because I believe that, at its very best, religion offers us one very important thing, the hope of transformation.
Today’s text is about the possibility that God has the power to change us into something better than our current state. As Moses came down from the mountain with the two tablets of the covenant in his hand, Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God. Exodus 34:29 When Moses encountered God he was literally glowing in a way that was visible to all who saw him. When left to our own devices- untransformed- we remain hurried, anxious, selfish, mean spirited and unforgiving. But when, like Moses, we encounter God there is the possibility that we will be transformed into a glowing version of ourselves.
When I wake up every morning, I know that on my own I’m likely to be an embarrassing example of religion at its worst. Somehow, I manage to foul things up; usually before I leave the house. But I also believe that God offers me the possibility that I can become “Holy”; something wholly different. In fact, I believe holiness happens just enough that it gives me reason to continue to participate in this thing we call religion. So, today I invite you to join me in the prayer that God will transform us from what we are under our own power, into an example of a God follower; one that glows.
