Reading: Exodus 24:15-18

Exodus 24:16b – “On the seventh day the Lord called to Moses from the cloud.”

As we draw near to the day of the Lord, we return to where we began the week, in Exodus 24. God’s “glorious presence” covers the mountain for six days. From down below, the presence of God looks like a “blazing fire.” Perhaps this was above the clouds. Maybe it looked like a lightning storm can when it is moving within the clouds in the sky. Moses spends these six days waiting for God.

In the last part of verse 16 we read, “On the seventh day the Lord called to Moses from the cloud.” On the seventh day God speaks. Moses is then in communion with God for forty days and forty nights. In addition to receiving the Ten Commandments, Moses will receive instructions on the worship of God – on everything from how to build and equip the tabernacle to how to keep and honor the Sabbath.

For Israel, the Sabbath was and is a day set aside to worship the Lord and to rest. For Christians, this seventh day practice falls on Sunday. It is the day we set aside to commune with God, to worship God, and to be renewed in body, mind, and spirit. As we gather tomorrow in worship, may the Lord our God call out to each of us, giving us the words of life. And as we fellowship and spend time in renewing rest, may the Lord our God prepare us to walk as light and love in the world until we gather again on the next day of the Lord.

Prayer: Lord God, draw us into your presence. Help us to hear your call and to respond. Open our ears and hearts to all that you have for us. Guide us to understand your will and way for our lives and for our world. Pour out your blessings on our worship, on our renewal, on our fellowship,and on our daily living. Amen.