Sunday before Lent Year C 27th February 2022
Lectionary Readings: Exodus 34 v29-35; Psalm 99; 2 Corinthians 3 v12-4 v2; Luke 9 v28-36.
Holiness.
In Psalm 99 the psalmist is trying to describe the nature and mystery of God.
“Only you are God! And your power alone, so great and fearsome, is worthy of praise. You are our mighty King, a lover of fairness, who sees that justice is done everywhere in Israel. Our Lord and our God, we praise you and kneel down to worship you, the God of holiness”.
(Psalm 99 v3-5).
The Collins dictionary of the Bible says:
‘In contrast to other religions where holiness refers to something or someone set apart for religious purposes, holiness in the Bible is first and foremost the distinctive quality of God himself. It represents the combination of all God’s other attributes and is the quality which distinguishes him from everything else. God’s holiness is radiated to others through the brilliance of his glory.’
In the passage from Exodus, the writer describes the moment that Moses returned to his companions after meeting God. “Moses came down from Mount Sinai, carrying the Ten Commandments. His face was shining brightly because the Lord had been speaking to him. But Moses did not know at first that his face was shining. When Aaron and the others looked at Moses, they saw that his face was shining and they were afraid to go near him.” (Exodus 34 v29,30).
God’s holiness is reflected in the face of Moses. Luke tells us that Jesus also reflected the glory of God after his encounter with God on a mountain top. (Luke 9 v 28-36).
Paul has something similar in mind when he writes to his friends in Corinth about the work of the Holy Spirit in uncovering the minds of believers so that “they may show the bright glory of the Lord, as the Lord’s Spirit make us more and more like our glorious Lord”. (2 Corinthians 3 v18b).
Ruth Duck explores the nature and mystery of God in this hymn: (from ‘Singing the Faith No. 7)
God who made the stars of heaven, God who spread the earth,
breath of every living being, fount of life and birth,
you have formed a servant people, led us by your hand.
Light of nations, shine in us, brighten every land.
Living Christ, the light of nations, radiant as the sun,
build us up, a growing body; knit your Church as one.
May our loving be a witness all the world may see.
Send your Spirit, bond of peace, source of unity.
Spirit God, equip your people, all with gifts to share:
messengers to speak the gospel, ministers of care.
So may valleys rise to greatness, mountains be a plain.
Come, surprise us; change our lives; heal each heart in pain.
So may nations praise your greatness, do your will on earth,
free the captives from their prisons, treat the poor with worth.
So may desert, coast and village sing new songs to you.
Light of nations, fill the world, making all things new.
Bible quotations taken from The Contemporary English Version.