Tuesday, March 4, 2025  

Today's Scripture
Exodus 34:29–35

Moses came down from Mount Sinai. As he 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. When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, the skin of his face was shining, and they were afraid to come near him. But Moses called to them; and Aaron and all the leaders of the congregation returned to him, and Moses spoke with them. Afterward all the Israelites came near, and he gave them in commandment all that the Lord had spoken with him on Mount Sinai. When Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil on his face; but whenever Moses went in before the Lord to speak with him, he would take the veil off, until he came out; and when he came out, and told the Israelites what he had been commanded, the Israelites would see the face of Moses, that the skin of his face was shining; and Moses would put the veil on his face again, until he went in to speak with him. (NRSV)

Reflection

It can be hard to know what to make of this enigmatic holy encounter at first. Moses’ experience of God on Mount Sinai comes as close to the divine as any recorded encounter in the biblical text (save, perhaps, the Transfiguration) — so much so that when Moses descends the mountain he has a visible afterglow that both startles and intimidates Aaron and the other leaders. Moses’ status as leader and God’s messenger had never really been in doubt beyond some light grumbling, but this moment underscores how truly unique he is — having witnessed God’s glory in full (see Exodus 33).

It feels noteworthy that the next several chapters of Exodus are dedicated to the construction of the tabernacle — a sacred place meant to help blur the line between earth and the divine. We almost certainly will never experience the visible glow that Moses does in his encounter with God, yet I’d imagine many of us have still felt a metaphorical glow at times from moments of revelation and inspiration we’ve experienced — whether at church, or in other places expected and unexpected.

Those moments, fleeting as they are, can sustain us through times when God’s presence feels distant or uncertain — for they remind us of the eternal truth that “nothing can separate us from the love of God” (Romans 8:39). So we give God thanks today for “thin spaces,” as they are known in Celtic Christianity — those places where we too can be connected with and transformed by our encounters with the Holy God.

Prayer
Holy God, I am grateful for those places and times when I feel your presence deeply — and pray that those moments and seasons may lead me ever closer to your path. Amen.

Written by Matt Helms, Associate Pastor for Children, Family, and Welcoming Ministries

Reflection and Prayer © Fourth Presbyterian Church

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