Rochester, MN UCC - "The Faithfulness of God" - Exodus 33:12-23

There is a moment of great uncertainty in the Exodus story following the people’s idolatrous worship of the golden calf. Until God delivered them the people of Israel were not a people, they were merely a group of oppressed slaves. It was their covenant with God that made them the people of Israel. Now that they had violated that covenant- what would become of them? Would their existence continue? Would God continue to be present with them? Or was this their undoing?

 When Moses presses God about who will go with him if he continues leading the people into the promised land, God gives a remarkable promise to them, saying, “My presence will go with you and I will give you rest.” Even though they have broken their covenant in the most flagrant of ways, God promises to remain with them. God’s plan for them, for the world, and for the salvation of all, will not be deterred by the failings of human beings. God will be faithful to God’s promise and purpose always.

 We believe that every second of our existence is possible because of God’s faithfulness. It is God’s gracious and free choice to create that sustains the existence of all creation in every moment. More than this, we also believe that God’s promise to be present with God’s people and to give them rest remains valid for us. God does not just sustain our existence, God journeys with us and God is present to us. God guides us into fullness of life and salvation and eventually to eternal rest in God. God remained faithful to this promise with the people of Israel through all their struggles and their failings and their sin. God remains faithful to this promise for us as well. The good news is that despite our many failings, the promise and purpose of God will never be deterred.

 Pastor Andrew Greenhaw