The last few Sundays of the church year always focus on those gospel readings in which Jesus talks about the warning signs of the last days. Within this context of looking toward the end, we want to see God’s mercy to us.
Exodus chapter 3 in particular helps us to see that God remembers the promises he makes to his people. This is a majestic excerpt of the scripture, Exodus chapter 3, where the Angel of the LORD appears to Moses and calls him to lead the people of Israel out of bondage to pharaoh.
We often summarize this reading in our minds through Moses’ discovery of the burning bush- as we appropriately consider it a turning point in the history of the Bible. Yet just a few verses before Exodus chapter 3 the reader has a clear picture already of what God intends to do for his people who cry to Him.
Chapter 2:23-24 reads as follows: “During those days the king of Egypt died, and the people of Israel groaned because of their slavery and cried out for help. Their cry for rescue from slavery came up to God. And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, with Jacob, God saw the people of Israel- and God knew.”
Four verbs describing God’s actions, God’s mercy:
heard – remembered – saw – knew This is more than a reading about change of purpose for Moses, the deliverance of the people of Israel from bondage points us to Jesus.
Theologians have long held that the messenger of God appearing in the bush was none other than the second person of the Trinity, the pre-incarnate Son of God. The Son of God, who was there at creation was also of course present in the flames of the bush that burned but was not consumed. Jesus was born so that God could take on our flesh and hear us, remember us, see us, and know us. Out of mercy and love Jesus came to our world.
The appointed Introit reading helps illustrate this important distinction about our God who acts in mercy to us: “You who fear the Lord, trust in the Lord! He is their help and their shield. Why should the nations say, “Where is their God?” 3 Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases. 4 Their idols are silver and gold, the work of human hands. Those who make them become like them; so do all who trust in them”
The nations, as in the unbelieving world, will indeed as in times of hardship, ‘where is your God?’ The nations want us to rely on idols of silver and gold and the work of human hands. In other words we are mocked because we do not save ourselves.
But we do not need to save ourselves because we have a real present God who is there for us. When people taunt ‘where is your God?’, we remember that He is in the heavens ruling overall creation, and near to us as well.
God remembers the covenant He made with us through Abraham, through Isaac, Jacob, the covenant he made through our Savior Jesus as we were united to Him in the waters of Holy Baptism. This is the most important thing I would like you to take away today- God remembers the covenant he made with you. God remembers that you are His own, in life and in death.
There was a news story last year in Japan about a man who married a virtual reality female anime singer hologram dressed up in a tuxedo with a full wedding reception in front of 39 people. The hologram is equipped with basic artificial intelligence with basic greetings and the ability to turn lights on and off.
His cell phone tells the hologram to turn its light on when he comes home from work, and at night “she” tells him it is time for bed. Hard to believe someone would publicly profess love for a robot instead of a real person for a spouse.
As we live in a time where people become more and more engrossed in electronic technology to bring fulfillment, it is important to keep our focus on how technology provides a very shallow imitation to our God who is present with us and active in mercy toward us.
Society invites us to find fulfillment through technology as if there is no God who is present with you, as if there is no God who reaches out to us. Just like God reached out to Moses through the burning bush- just as God spoke to Moses, so does He speak to us through His Word.
God speaks to us a message of mercy because God has the power to help us no matter the situation. Too often on account of our sin we struggle to see how Jesus remembers us through our needs of body and soul. It is so easy to sit in worship and hear about how God appeared to Moses and the people of Israel, and think, well of course God helped them, it’s part of the Bible, they were his chosen people in bondage to Pharaoh.
Me I’m just an average American struggling about paying the next bill or the working through a frustration with a family member or friend. Why should God hear my cries for help? Jesus hears us as we struggle with the anxieties and worries of our daily life. Jesus remembers His promise to us to be our Savior and deliver us from the struggles of this fallen world.
Jesus sees us as we struggle with all of the threats of the world, the devil and our sinful nature. And Jesus knows us as we walk with him as part of the body of Christ, as we strive together with our brothers and sister in Christ to repent of our sins and turn in love toward God and toward those who are in need.
Even in the most trying circumstances as we heard in our gospel lesson: when nations will rise against nation, earthquakes, famines- terrors and great signs from heaven. When people lay their hands on us and persecute us for our faith- delivering us to prisons and persecutions, even at this time God will remember us.
Jesus says we do not need to prepare what we are to say: “Settle it therefore in your minds not to meditate beforehand how to answer, for I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which none of you adversaries will be able to withstand or contradict.”
Do you see what Jesus is saying? When you are persecuted the Holy Spirit will give you what to say, God will see your suffering, remember his promise to you and know exactly what you are going through.
“Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”
When God came to Moses in the burning bush, Moses’ life was forever changed. We are changed by God’s coming to us in His Word, changed through the work of the Holy Spirit creating a living faith in us, changed each time we encounter Him in His very body and blood in the Lord’s Supper.
His love changes us, his mercy changes us. We are changed from positions of fear about daily life worries to states of hope and love. Jesus gives life to our congregation. He remembers us in exactly the challenge we face as a congregation and through the Holy Spirit He is always working in us, always coming down to deliver us. Amen.