Is Is that that an an echo echo??

Every day we're reading or listening to part of the Bible together and sharing thoughts with you. Today it’s Bern Leckie:

What did I like about today’s passage?

I like the comfortable familiarity of most of what is described here. While it might have seemed strange earlier in Exodus, the repeating descriptions of what people made at God’s command to help recognise and worship him now seem like a pattern which points the way to God.

It’s like there is an echo in Exodus which reveals the substance of what God wanted people to join with him to make. There is a structure which receives his people and their praise, echoes and even amplifies it.

What started with one man’s faith in a crowd of doubters has become a shared vision, a vibrant conference, an astonishing multiplication of individual gifts and skills into enough bling to be visible from space, all so that God could be recognised and worshipped. Do you hear that echo, the feedback loop linking what God gives to what we can give? It’s more than a structure for religious ceremonies, it’s a resonance between God’s heart and ours.

What did it show me about Father God, Jesus or the Holy Spirit?

God knows what he is doing. He doesn’t call us to worship him so that we grudgingly give a bit of time feeling awkward, sounding uncomfortable and looking silly. He invites us to partner with him, in his presence, so that we can grow in faith and familiarity with him.

God gives people the freedom to choose life which reveals the reality of his presence and power. When we choose that, we get guidance, and sometimes the patterns of what God expects don’t seem to make sense at first. But God knows what will move us towards knowing, trusting and resonating with him.

What am I going to do differently as a result?

Spend more time listening and reflecting on what God might be calling me to do or join in with other people who are looking to follow Jesus and worship. I want to be better at worshiping and expecting God’s presence to be revealed.

Who am I going to share this with?

Others at church who worship. Some of us have tried, on occasion, to write songs together. Maybe we’ll try again, or do something else which helps amplify what God wants to produce through us.