Are You There, God? It's Me, Moses (Exodus 33:12-23)

The Old Testament lectionary readings lately have been from the book of Exodus, and in today’s scripture, there is a verse where Moses basically asks God, “Are you there? Are you with us?” … and it made me think of the book, Are You There, God, It’s Me, Margaret by Judy Bloom… 

Except I never read that book, and I never saw the movie that came out this year, (which I heard is wonderful, by the way).

Who here has read the book?

I mentioned to Ginger that I had never read the book, and she found a copy at a used bookstore that cost one dollar, and I started reading it.

This happened just before the regional clergy retreat and regional gathering that took place last week. For the retreat, the region hosted clergy and their spouses at the Fullerton Marriott, which is probably the nicest place I’ve stayed at in a long time. (That’s not saying much, since my little cabin on Catalina Island has no plumbing and no electricity, but still…)

So, anyway, that’s how it is that I ended up one afternoon, laying by the pool at the Fullerton Marriott, with an umbrella over me and that warm, golden California sun shining down, surrounded by palm trees, my shirt off, iced tea on the table next to me, trying to look cool, while reading my second-hand paperback copy of Are You There, God, It’s Me, Margaret.

For those of you who don’t know, the story is about a girl named Margaret Simon, who is just a few months away from turning 12, when her family moves from New York City to Fartbrook, New Jersey. Margaret's mother is Christian and her father is Jewish, but Margaret has been raised without an affiliation to either faith. Nevertheless, she frequently prays to God in her own words, beginning by saying, "Are you there God? It's me, Margaret." 

Now, it’s not a coincidence that her family is moving to a new state just as she’s about to turn 12. Both moving to a new home, and transitioning into puberty, are two drastic life changes. There’s the physical journey, from her old home to her new home; and there’s the spiritual, developmental journey, as she figures out who she is. Both journeys involve new beginnings, new discoveries… and leaving behind all things familiar. 

In that sense, it’s very similar to the journey Moses and the Hebrew people took to the promised land.

Like Margaret’s journey, theirs is a double journey: It’s a physical, literal journey, from Egypt, through the wilderness, to Canaan; but, more than that, it’s a spiritual, developmental journey, as they transition from their old lives as slaves, and prepare to create a whole new nation, basically establishing for themselves a whole new identity as God’s liberated people.

And in the part of the story that appears in today’s scripture, Moses all but says, “Are you there, God? It’s me, Moses.”

Now, thus far, God has led the people out of Egypt, through the Red Sea, and into the wilderness. At Sinai, God established a covenant with them, and God gave them the 10 commandments to guide them as they prepared to live in covenant with God and with one another in the new land they were about to enter. And God held back his anger when the people got impatient and made a golden calf, and worshiped it instead of God.

God loved the Hebrew people, and had promised to be with them, but after that golden calf incident, when God’s anger was kindled, and God almost destroyed the people in anger… God wondered if maybe going with the people into the Promised Land wasn’t such a good idea. What if these stubborn, impatient, unfaithful people got God angry again, and God reacted violently by destroying them? Maybe it would be better for the people to enter the Promised Land without God…?

Moses did not agree. Moses wanted God to assure him that God would go with them, that God’s presence would accompany them. God again gave in to Moses’ petition, and said, “Yes, I will go with you,” but Moses wanted even greater assurance.

Moses said, “Don’t play with me, God. If you really are there, show me. Show me your presence. I need to see you. I need to be assured of your presence now, and assured that your presence will stay with me, and with us, as we continue this journey.”

Now, at this point, I should mention that this depiction of God, whose presence is limited to a specific location, doesn’t quite match what I believe about God. Does it match what you believe about God? Do you think God’s presence is limited to certain locations? Or do you believe that God is everywhere, that there is nowhere in creation where God is not?

Ancient people were influenced by other religions, and by the gods of those religions, who dwelt in specific places, not everywhere all at once.

And one of the things I actually like about scripture is how human understanding about God evolves across the pages of scripture. 

For example: In the Garden of Eden, God was walking in the garden, and Adam and Eve hid from God; behind a bush or a rock, I presume. So there, in Genesis, God appears to be limited to a specific location. Yet later, the psalmist says “Where can I go from your spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?” And the implied answer is: nowhere. Because God is everywhere.

And when Jonah comically tried to outrun God, it didn’t work. Because even at the ends of the earth, God is there.

When Jesus talked theology with the woman at the well, part of the conversation centered on whether God’s home was on this mountain, or was on that mountain, but then Jesus said that God is spirit; God is wind; God is breath. Just as the wind does not reside on a single mountain, neither does God; and just as breath is in every human, so is God.

So I don’t look at these depictions in Genesis and Exodus of God as present in one location but not present in another as definitive. Rather, they are a glimpse into how the people thought of God, and how human understanding of God grew and developed over the ages.

And even in this story today, which begins with a question of whether God will be present or not, we move to the realization that God’s presence will not be withdrawn, that God’s presence will be with the people, and God’s presence will be with Moses. 

The assurance is given.

Are you there God? Yes, I am. I am here, with you. And always will be.

No matter where your journey takes you.

So… back to our story. In this story, people didn’t quite think of God as being everywhere, like the wind, or breath, and Moses wanted an assurance from God that God’s presence would be with him and with God’s people as they complete their journey into the Promised Land.

So Moses said to God, “Show me your glory.” It was a presumptuous demand. Moses was dictating the terms of their relationship.

But God agreed. “I will pass by you, and you will see my glory,” God said. “But you cannot see my face. I’ll cover your face with my hand until I’ve passed you, and then I’ll remove my hand, and you can see my backside as I go by.”

And this begs the question: “What exactly does God’s backside look like? And am I going to hell for asking such an irreverent question?”

Well, no one is ever sent to hell for asking questions. But perhaps a more important question is: What does this story teach us about God?

And what it teaches us is that God is present. And that it’s OK to ask God to reveal God’s presence, to make that presence known. Because even though God is always present, we aren’t always aware of that presence, and that sometimes, even though God is always present, what we feel is God’s absence.

Even prophets and psalmists have felt the absence of God. Even prophets and psalmists have questioned God about these things.

So whether your name is Margaret, or Moses, or anything else, it’s OK to ask, “Are you there, God?”

And no matter what type of journey you are on, and no matter what new land awaits you, it’s OK to ask, “Are you there, God?”

Then, wait for God to answer.