The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. (Exodus 3:15)
When you want to stand a few books on a shelf, you use
bookends to keep them from toppling over to either side. Well, today’s
first reading and Gospel are kind of like bookends for our life in
Christ. We need both of them to keep us secure and safe.
The first
bookend is the way God introduced himself to Moses, by telling him, “I
am” (Exodus 3:14). Essentially, he said that he is life itself,
embracing and surrounding all creation. As the God of Abraham, Isaac,
and Jacob, he is reminding Moses of all that he has done in gathering
them together, giving them an identity as his people, and rescuing them
from their enemies. This is a powerful, all-encompassing God who
deserves to be worshipped and revered!
The second bookend is the
Gospel reading. In it, Jesus, who is God made flesh, invites us to come
to him so that he can comfort us and lift our burdens. But why would we
go to him and not some other god? Because the first bookend tells us
just how powerful he is. Jesus is the “I am,” the Alpha and Omega, the
One who holds all things together.
Here is the wonder of the
gospel message. God is complete in himself, and yet he longs for us to
be with him. He is all powerful, yet he became a helpless baby in order
to redeem us. He who put the stars in the heavens hears our prayers and
comes running to help us.
In the end, we need both bookends. If we
focus only on today’s Gospel, we’ll turn God into an overly indulgent
parent who spoils his children. But if we focus only on the first
reading, we’ll turn him into a remote creator who holds our obedience
only because we fear his power. But God wants us to follow him because
he loves us, not because we fear him. He wants us to come to him for
comfort so that once we are strengthened, we can go out into the world
and tell everyone else how awesome and powerful he is.
It is here, between the bookends, that we’ll find true rest for our souls.
“Father, you are mighty and merciful. Help me to see you more clearly.
from wau.org
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