Moving
Collect the stuff. Pack the boxes. Move the boxes. Unpack the boxes. Place the items in their new places. No we are not moving anywhere, but these last couple of weeks our kids have been engaged in moving around town, which means we have been helping out. Moving is perhaps the ultimate transition, both exciting and unsettling at the same time. We experience these transitions throughout our lives. Along with moving, marriage, new schools, new jobs or retirement are a some of the "biggies". But transitioning from summer to back to school, from sleeping to waking, transitions between pandemic restrictions, etc... They are all part of life; exciting, but unsettling.
In the midst of transitions, one the great promises that we have is Jesus' promise to never leave us or forsake us. This is a New Testament reality flowing out of the finished work of Jesus. He has prepared the way for the Holy Spirit to take up residence in our hearts so that whatever transition we are experiencing, God's presence is with us. Assuring.
The idea of God in our midst has been at the center of our study of Exodus. This week is no exception. Throughout Exodus 32 and 33 we will see Moses mediating for the presence of God in the midst of his people, even at the cost of his life.