"Get Your Shiny Back"

Then Moses set up the courtyard around the tabernacle and altar and put up the curtain at the entrance to the courtyard. And so Moses finished the work. Then the cloud covered the Tent of Meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. Moses could not enter the Tent of Meeting because the cloud had settled upon it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. In all the travels of the Israelites, whenever the cloud lifted from above the tabernacle, they would set out; but if the cloud did not lift, they did not set out—until the day it lifted. So the cloud of the Lord was over the tabernacle by day, and fire was in the cloud by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel during all their travels. (Exodus 40:33-38 NIV).

There’s something very attractive about shiny finishes. Haven’t you noticed how good you feel when you get your car washed and that new car shiny look stands out at the local market parking lot? We can see it even more in nature. A day full of bright sunshine is always more cheerful and uplifting than a dark dreary day. However, it is most noticeable when speaking of the presence of God.

Our reading today records for us the moment when the glory (paraphrase “shiny”) of God entered a human dwelling. The tabernacle became the sacred resting place for the Ark of the Covenant and it was on the Ark that God’s glory rested. This served as a clear symbol of God’s presence among his people, his covenant faithfulness to them as they wandered in the wilderness. It was also a beacon for their own faithfulness, a reminder that the God who was with them was also watching them and calling them to obedience. Eventually the tabernacle was replaced with the temple and the presence of God remained among his people.

We could go forward in history a 1000 years or so and see the people of God in disarray and under Roman domination. The Ark has been lost and the people are wondering where God is. Then, in the fullness of time, the glory of God entered a human dwelling again. This time it was through the incarnation of God himself. Jesus, fully God and fully man, was born in Bethlehem. He came to point people to his Father and to finally reconcile man to God. His time on earth was short and after about thirty years the glory of God in the Son made flesh ascended into Heaven.

We then go forward a mere forty days and the glory of God entered human dwelling again. Pentecost was that moment when the Holy Spirit of God fell on the disciples of Jesus. From Ark to Son of God to children of God, God has continued to place his glory among men. Today it is we, the people of God, who are filled with the glory of God. It is we who are to shine for one another the presence and promise of God. It is we who must go among the nations, shining God’s glory to those who have never heard his good news, calling them to repentance. You are the dwelling place of God! I wonder though, is your life like my truck? Does it need a good wash and wax? Get your shiny back and renew your commitment to be the best temple you can be!