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Seek Ye First

December 27, 2024

Exodus 33:18-23 | 1John 1:1-9 | John 21:19b-24 | Psalm 92 

Moses said to God, “Show me your glory, I pray.”  And God said, “I will make all my goodness pass before you, and will proclaim before you the name, `The LORD‘; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy.  But,” he said, “you cannot see my face; for no one shall see me and live.”  And the LORD continued, “See, there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock; and while my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by; then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back; but my face shall not be seen.”

As I approach the Sunset of my life and in reflecting on these puzzling words of God, I can only hope they mean that I may see God’s Glory when I am no longer living a human life.

This hopeful pondering then leads me to wonder what I’m expected to do in the meantime.  What does God mean when he gives me permission to see Him only from behind.  What can I possibly “see” of and about God’s glory when we are not “face to face”?

Well, forty or so years ago, Father James Knudson suggested that in order to get to know God, I needed “to seek God’s signature in the creation God left for us to live in and with”.  Since then, I have been blessed to notice God’s signature in, for example, the fractal harmonies among God’s magnificent mountain peaks and ranges; or healing power of the plants, herbs and roots that countless generations have discovered; or in the sparkling of the Milky Way’s myriad stars; or the boundless beauty of Sunrises and Sunsets.

And then, there is humanity: the part of creation in which God was most delighted.  Yet, unlike the other orders of creation, we humans can be the most confounding, and frequently the most difficult … except, that is, for unconditionally loving children, and for those among us who may learn to become as a child again.

So, as I join the Magi’s journey to the twelfth day of Christmas, the day of Epiphany, which means “revealed” or “made manifest”, I have come to believe that we share with them a responsibility to seek the manifestation of the Christ child in each human being we encounter.

This can prove difficult during the sorts of fractious, fragmented, and polarized times we experience in the world today.  Nowhere has the interpersonal violence and warfare that has accompanied these cycles throughout human history been more apparent than when one religion or political faction self-righteously justifies their belief … often in an unholy alliance…  that they are the “one true religion”, or the one group that knows the truth and the only right way.  In this societal and cultural madness, the meaning of religion … that is, to tie to, or bind to or connect with others and, especially with the God of one’s understanding … is lost.

In these moments, I believe that sincere and steadfast seekers of all faiths and spiritual traditions must, … in a holy alliance … continue the journey of Three Wise Men toward Epiphany and beyond.  I believe I must seek Christ’s manifestation in every human being I encounter. And, I believe that it is through faithful adherence to Jesus of Nazareth’s eternal and universal mandate … Love one another as I have loved you … that we will find God’s signature in a humanity that can foster healing, wholeness and connection.

True, this seeking thing does not make for an easy journey.  But, if we stick to it, I believe our generation of seekers will endure until God decides it is our time to retire and to see his glory, face to face.

Mike Cerullo