Today’s reading from Hebrew Scripture marks a significant turning point for the people who came to be known as Israelites

    a. the Beloved Torah was the form that held the people together.

    b. What do we know about these early people who became the ancient nation of Israel

    c. We learn from reading in earlier chapters

        i. Rather than relishing freedom, they complained, a lot

            1. In the wilderness of Sin,

                a. after being rescued through the Red Sea

                b. they had plenty of water, 12 springs of fresh water

                c. complained because there was no food

                    i. thought they were better off as slaves

                d. God sent manna

            2. then they journeyed to Rephidim

                a. no water

                b. complained again, demanding water

                c. God sent Moses to the rock Horeb

        ii. We learn that these people did not react well to their new found freedom

            1. Had lived in Egypt as slaves

            2. The master had told them what to do

            3. How to behave

            4. When to get up

            5. When they could go home

            6. Now they were free and no one was telling them what to do

            7. but as usually happens when people try to live together they did not always agree

            8. They looked to Moses to sit as a judge over all their petty squabbles.

            9. Exodus 18, we read that Moses set up a group of judges to help with resolving these problems

    d. They were struggling to become a community

        i. Needed new laws that would help them live together

        ii. In one sense, they needed to acknowledge their core values

            1. Core values, according to evangelist Tom Bandy is what holds a community together and helps them to grow

            2. Core values are what give identity to the community

    f. Torah would be the glue to help the Israelites

        i. Ten Commandments define the people of God

            1. one God

            2. honor father and mother

            3. do not kill

            4. do not steal

        ii. live together

        iii. and grow into a great nation

Visiting a Synagogue saw the centrality of Torah

    g. In the place where the cross is for us, the synagogue carries the stone tablets

    h. Below the tablets in the most central place pf synagogue is the home of scrolls of Torah

For us, the glue is Christ, he is our Torah

    i. Today’s juxtaposition of the two lessons helps us to see the connection.

        i. Presence of Moses also helps to link the two

        ii. Details are similar

            1. Mountaintop experiences

            2. God speaks out of a cloud

            3. Faces of Moses and Jesus become luminous

        iii. Divine manifestation that help us see below the surface, a revelation

            1. Think about the surface of a lake on a sunny day, can’t see below the gleam until a disrupts the sheen

            2. That’s what is happening on the mountain, a divine cloud helps us to see below the surface

    j. On the surface, Jesus is on his death march, entering the gloomiest period of his life

        i. With the heavenly light created by the divine presence, his face and clothes gleam with God’s favor

    k. The earthly Jesus headed toward doom on the cross

        i. Suddenly, in the divine light of God’s presence, we see a victor not a victim.

        i. We see one who is beloved and well pleasing to God.

Words of God at this experience are very similar to words at baptism

    m. At baptism, God takes pleasure in this One identifies Jesus as the beloved Son

    n. Today’s words have similar message

        i. still my beloved, still pleased with the teachings, the healings, the compassion, the conflict

        ii. additional words, "Listen to this One."

Perhaps these are words, "Listen to him." cause the fear, now conspicuously absent from baptism

    o. Peter, James and John were caught up in the experience aware of its meaning

    p. Peter’s suggestion about three booths is clue that he realizes this is a divine revelation related to the Exodus

    q. Jesus’ words are telling the disciples and us to take up the cross and follow along this journey of Lent

        i. Jesus’ words are more than a religious idea to be thoughtfully debated

        ii. Jesus’ words are ethical mandates to be lived out in our lives

        iii. they are words that change our lives when we are willing to accept Jesus as our Lord

        iv. to say that he is the one who defines who we are

        v. our core values, if you will,

            1. are to love God and neighbor as yourself

            2. to go even farther and love your enemy

            3. to feed the hungry

            4. welcome the stranger

            5. visit those in prison

            6. give water to the thirsty

        vi. in short, we find our identity by becoming servants in this world

by following in the way of the cross, we find our joy and understand ourselves as God’s people