Advent Day 2: The Great I Am

Moses and the Burning Bush by Frederic B. Schell, 1884.
Engraving from the publication entitled The Story of the Bible by Charles Foster
Drawings by F. B. Schell and others

“We Will Glorify” from the album Together for the Gospel Live II. Composed by Twila Paris, Performed by Sovereign Grace Music with Bob Kauflin, conductor.

“Worship the Great I Am” from the album Forever Yours. Performed by Kari Jobe, Composed by Walker Beach.

Poetry:

“The Opening of Eyes”
by David Whyte

That day I saw beneath dark clouds
the passing light over the water
and I heard the voice of the world speak out,
I knew then, as I had before
life is no passing memory of what has been
nor the remaining pages in a great book
waiting to be read.

It is the opening of eyes long closed.
It is the vision of far off things
seen for the silence they hold.
It is the heart after years
of secret conversing
speaking out loud in the clear air.

It is Moses in the desert
fallen to his knees before the lit bush.
It is the man throwing away his shoes
as if to enter heaven
and finding himself astonished,
opened at last,
fallen in love with solid ground.

God’s Comfort, I Am

The sun shifted through the trees, creating changing prisms of light as we walked. My goddaughter is visiting from Uganda, and suddenly every flower, rock, and stick on our walk seems more stunning through her four-year-old eyes. My mind wandered to twenty years ago when I learned I was going to become a mother. My growing pregnant belly and our collection of baby items symbols of the change ahead. I hadn’t considered that a new baby was only the start of the change to come, and this year had marked another change in my motherhood journey as my daughter moved to a different continent to attend university. As we walked down the road, my goddaughter's laughter and bare feet skipping down the road brought my mind back into the present. A reminder that change in this world is a promise, not merely a possibility.

Yellow East African Weaver birds fill the air, changing the sounds around us as they call and respond to each other. Their bright yellow feathers caught my eye and drew my gaze toward them, much like I’m sure Moses’ gaze shifted toward the unchanging bush consumed by fire. A command and then a voice of comfort saying, “I Am…” Later these same words of comfort God offers His people in the wilderness when their lives are uprooted from Egypt, “I Am.” Jesus also describes himself with the same words of comfort, “I Am.”

The phrase is a contrast between creator and created. Creator God describes Himself as “I Am.” Created people use this phrase, but always followed by a qualifier of worth, a description of being, or an adjective. At four years old, my daughter was sure she would one day declare, “I am… a princess.” Balancing on the curb, my goddaughter looked into my eyes, “I am…growing bigger and stronger.” In contrast, God’s comfort does not quantify or qualify. It is complete, “I Am.”

Change is the cacophony backdrop for which the powerful and poignant statement, “I Am” brings hope. There may be plagues ahead, but there will also be manna. There may be deserts and tears, but there is a promised land because “I Am.”

To the chorus of weaverbirds singing on our walk, my goddaughter grips my hand. She is confident to try balancing on the curb, with my steady hands to support her balance. The phrase, “I Am” filled Moses and should fill us with courage we need to become transformed along with creation. A steady hand as we balance change and our own transformation.

The comfort of “I Am” is found not void of change, but within it. Children and aging remind us of the importance of seeking for “I Am.” Weaver birds' melodies change and beckon us into the comfort of “I Am.” The change of the shape of sunlight dancing through trees is a gentle promise that there is comfort found in the great “I Am.” This comfort is not limited by memories of the past, or contained merely in hope to come, but is the timeless, steady hand, the glory of “I Am.”

Prayer:

Jesus, let the change of this earth draw us to the steady comfort and truth that you declare, “I Am.” Let this empower us to be transformed, along with creation, for your glory.

Amen

Amie Cross, M.Div.
Chaplain and Missionary
Alumna of Torrey Honors College
Biola University

For more information about the artwork, music, and poetry selected for this day, please visit our website via the link in our bio.