Ex 40:16-21,34-38, Ps 84 :3-6,8,11, Mt 13:47-53
What I first noticed as I read the Exodus story was how God was with Israel during their entire journey. That is something that touches me because I have come to recognize my own need for God’s support on a daily basis. The Psalmist is very clear, “My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.” It may sound dramatic but I have enough days when I feel unsure, anxious and looking for help that what I really want is a living God. A God that isn’t far removed in heaven or has only acted when Jesus lived on this earth but a God who is an active part of today’s world and makes a difference for the way life goes.
I rather like the idea that the Israelites took their cues about when to move and when to stop based on God’s actions. That’s the kind of God I want, one by my side, calling the signals, all the time.
I think that’s why we get all the details about Moses building the Dwelling, boards and pedestals and columns. It says that the details matter. Life cannot be summed up in grand statements or broad categories. Life and God’s involvement in it takes place in how you put the boards together, where you put the columns or how you divide the tent … or not.
What is just as important as God’s companionship throughout the journey is the word, “stages,” “stages of the journey.” This acknowledges that our spiritual journey isn’t going to be a simple begin here, pass Go and collect $200 kind of journey. The idea of stages reminds me that there are times when I may not be a prize catch in the Kingdom’s net. Times when I need to change what I’m doing. There are going to be times in which I grow and am productive and times that are frustrating and may even include reversals in how well I handle people and situations around me. But it is why that net Matthew talks about collects fish of all kinds. We have the chance just like the scribe to be instructed in the Kingdom. An instruction that is given by a life lived in each moment, where we get to choose from the storeroom of our experiences, things that are old and things that are new. Only with experience can we make the choices that reflect whether it’s the right time to move forward or whether we should stay put for a while. We may not have as clear an indicator as the Israelites had in the cloud and fire rising and falling on the tent but we do have the freedom of the head of the household to evaluate both old and new things to decide what best fits our situation. And we have the comfort that no matter what stage we are in, God is still here, side by side with us for the whole journey.
