John 1: The Word became flesh and tabernacled among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
Moses ascended Mount Sinai and entered Yahweh’s cloud, and when he came out his face radiated the glory of the cloud. As Pastor Sumpter has said, the tabernacle is the cloud descended from the mountain so that all Israel can be as Moses – transformed from glory to glory.
Then we turn to the New Testament and find that Jesus is the Word who pitches His tent in human flesh so that we can see His glory. We don’t need a temple anymore, because the Lamb is our temple. The tabernacle of God is with men, and, unlike Israel, we can go all the way up, all the way in.
That’s what worship is. Every week, we gather as the temple of the Spirit for an encounter with glory. In the confession and absolution, God removes our tattered, soiled clothes, and robes us in gleaming white. He speaks to us in readings and sermons, so that our faces can shine with His light. At this table, Jesus’ body is the food that transfigures us into what we eat.
Dear Reader,
Can I be direct with you?
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