Sermon Tone Analysis

A theme of Advent is waiting.

We think often of the Old Testament Characters after the fall longing, waiting expectantly for the Messiah a Savior.

Waiting is frustrating.

I know very few people who are good at waiting.

Think about all the places where we wait:

In line at the grocery store or buying that gift during this Christmas season - do you ever look for the longest line?

On the phone as we’re trying to make contact with a live person

Online when our internet isn’t moving as fast as we’d like - an IT person once told me that the reason our computer was freezing was because we were impatient and needed to allow it to finish one task before we asked it to do another.

In traffic

For that anticipated day...

The start of a vacation

The first day of school or a new job

Christmas morning and whether someone will like the gift we got them and if we’re honest that hope for that gift we’ve been dropping hints for.

As christians we too are waiting expectantly.

But what is it that we truly are seeking?

I think this morning’s passage speaks directly to that.

Desire to know

Faith is a difficult thing.

In Hebrews we read:

When we don’t see the object of our faith it can make it difficult to believe.

This really comes into view as we speak in reference to God.

It doesn’t seem to be so difficult for people to believe in other things we’ve never seen:

Aliens, goblins, leprechauns, Sasquatch and a host of other beings that we’ve never seen and yet when it comes to God...

One comedian observed, “Our culture is so willing to believe in some things and not so much in others.

We totally believe in Sasquatch but if a sign says, ‘Wet Paint’, we are compelled to go and touch it to be sure.”

Moses spoke with God, on a regular basis, to the point that he was able to quote and write down their conversations.

In this conversation Moses is given the promise that God will go with the people of Israel.

Think about that for a moment.

I love Moses’ response:

And even with God’s assurance Moses longs for something more to know God more intimately, He says: “Show me”

Desire to know

Show me

Moses was no different.

He wanted to see God, to know God even more as he was already known by God, and so he asks something very bold - to see his glory.

I find this whole conversation interesting.

Think of the knowledge of God that Moses has at this point:

Burning bush,

staff turning into snake,

hand turning leprous white,

his turning the Nile into blood,

the 10 plagues,

Pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night,

parting of the red sea,

manna from heaven,

quail,

the ground opening up…

I could go on, but I’ll let you read it for yourself and I can assure you it’s better than the movie!

Yet, even with all of that, Moses wants to know more of God.

I hope that is true for you as well.

Moses did not have the advantage of having the Bible written out for him.

And even if he had, I doubt he would have asked for anything less.

Moses desires a closer relationship.

Desire to know

Show me

Face to Face…Not quite

An amazing thing happens - the lord tells him the glory of the Lord will pass before him...

Ex 33:19-20

And the Lord does exactly that.

That’s what we’re longing for during Advent - to see God more clearly than ever before.

The Apostle Paul writes:

We don’t have a clear picture of God even today, and yet there is something so amazing about having seen God as the disciples saw him in Jesus:

That was the first Advent.

The first coming of the LORD.

And it caused great celebration and a desire to share about it:

Such passion.

We long for that same connection.

Something more.

Moses longed to see God, the disciples saw Jesus, and we long to see him too.

That is the longing of Advent...

We wait, and we long for Jesus - to see God face to face again.

And what will it be like?

I john 3:2

Yes, that is what we long for.

Oh, to be like Jesus.