Exodus 34:29-35 (NRSV)
Read Exodus 34:29-35 on biblegateway.com
Verse 29Moses came down from Mount Sinai. As he came down from the mountain with the two tablets of the covenant in his hand, Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God. Verse 30When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, the skin of his face was shining, and they were afraid to come near him. Verse 31But Moses called to them; and Aaron and all the leaders of the congregation returned to him, and Moses spoke with them. Verse 32Afterward all the Israelites came near, and he gave them in commandment all that the Lord had spoken with him on Mount Sinai. Verse 33When Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil on his face; Verse 34but whenever Moses went in before the Lord to speak with him, he would take the veil off, until he came out; and when he came out, and told the Israelites what he had been commanded, Verse 35the Israelites would see the face of Moses, that the skin of his face was shining; and Moses would put the veil on his face again, until he went in to speak with him.
Devotion
Who wouldn't be changed by a personal encounter with God? That's one of the basic tenets of Christian faith: God has encountered us, and we are made new every day. The question I would now ask is where is that most likely to happen? Like Moses, many of us seek God in the quiet mountaintops - at least those of us here in Colorado - or in the stillness of a forest, cabin retreat, sanctuary or other quiet refuge away from the distractions of daily life. But consider this: Seek the life-changing presence of God in the very center of the busy, difficult, even painful distractions you encounter today. Isn't that where God is most active anyway? Rather than pulling ourselves away from the presence of God, perhaps we should look for God in the midst of our busy world daily. We'll be changed in the encounter.
Prayer
Ever-present God, you meet us in the mundane, extraordinary, broken and hectic aspects of our lives. Change us and make us new so that we are a light in that same world. Amen.