Embracing the Miraculous: Trusting God's Transformative Power

Devotional

Day 1: Embracing the Mystery of God's Presence

Reflecting on the story of Moses descending from Mount Sinai with his face shining after encountering God, we are reminded of the awe and fear that come with witnessing the divine. In our modern world, we often seek explanations for everything, but this can limit our ability to see the miraculous. We are called to embrace the mystery of God's presence and power. The Israelites' reaction to Moses' radiant face serves as a reminder that the divine often transcends human understanding, inviting us to approach God with reverence and wonder. [26:20]

Exodus 34:29-30 (ESV): "When Moses came down from Mount Sinai, with the two tablets of the testimony in his hand as he came down from the mountain, Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God. Aaron and all the people of Israel saw Moses, and behold, the skin of his face shone, and they were afraid to come near him."

Reflection: In what areas of your life do you find yourself seeking explanations rather than embracing the mystery of God's presence? How can you cultivate a sense of awe and wonder in your daily walk with God?

Day 2: Rediscovering the Supernatural in Faith

Over time, we have taught ourselves to rationalize away the supernatural aspects of faith, reducing it to community activities. Yet, at the heart of Christianity is the belief in miracles—events that reveal God's transformative power. We must be open to seeing and participating in these divine works. The challenge is to move beyond a purely rational understanding of faith and to allow room for the miraculous, recognizing that God's ways often defy human logic and understanding. [30:15]

1 Corinthians 2:4-5 (ESV): "And my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God."

Reflection: What is one supernatural aspect of your faith that you have rationalized away? How can you begin to open yourself to the possibility of experiencing God's miraculous power in your life?

Day 3: The Transformative Power of Communion

Communion is a powerful reminder of the mystery of faith. At the table, we encounter the love and sacrifice of Jesus Christ in a way that transcends understanding. This moment of transformation is a miracle we are invited to participate in, binding us together as a community. The act of communion is not just a ritual but a profound encounter with the divine, where God's love becomes tangible and transformative, inviting us to be part of a larger story of redemption and grace. [33:41]

1 Corinthians 10:16-17 (ESV): "The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread."

Reflection: How does participating in communion deepen your understanding of God's love and sacrifice? In what ways can you allow this transformative experience to impact your daily interactions with others?

Day 4: Trusting in the Unseen Work of God

We are called to trust in the miraculous and see God's hand at work in ways we cannot comprehend. By doing so, we open ourselves to being part of God's transformative work in the world, sharing the love, grace, and forgiveness that surpasses all understanding. Trusting in the unseen requires faith and a willingness to let go of the need for control, allowing God to work in and through us in ways that may not always be immediately visible or understandable. [37:16]

Hebrews 11:1 (ESV): "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen."

Reflection: What is one area of your life where you struggle to trust in God's unseen work? How can you begin to cultivate a deeper trust in God's transformative power, even when you cannot see the immediate results?

Day 5: Shining the Light of Christ in the World

As we carry the light of Christ into the world, we are encouraged to let our faces shine with His love. This light is a testament to the miraculous work of God in our lives, and we are called to share it with others, being part of the divine transformation in the world. The call to shine with the light of Christ is an invitation to live out our faith in tangible ways, reflecting God's love and grace to those around us and participating in His redemptive work in the world. [43:37]

Matthew 5:14-16 (ESV): "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven."

Reflection: How can you let the light of Christ shine through you in your daily interactions? What specific actions can you take today to reflect God's love and grace to those around you?

Sermon Summary

In today's gathering, we explored the profound mystery and power of the miraculous in our faith journey. Reflecting on the story of Moses descending from Mount Sinai with his face shining after encountering God, we are reminded of the awe and fear that the Israelites felt. This fear stemmed from witnessing the divine presence in a tangible way. In our modern world, as we gain more understanding and explanations for the phenomena around us, it becomes easier to dismiss the miraculous and focus solely on the realistic. However, this perspective can limit our ability to see and participate in the divine work happening around us.

We discussed how, over time, we have taught ourselves and our children to rationalize away the supernatural aspects of faith, reducing Christianity to mere community activities. Yet, at the heart of our faith is the belief in miracles—events that defy explanation and reveal God's transformative power. The story of the Transfiguration and Moses' radiant face challenges us to embrace the miraculous and recognize God's presence in our lives.

The act of communion serves as a powerful reminder of this mystery. At the table, we encounter the love and sacrifice of Jesus Christ in a way that transcends understanding. It is a moment where God's love becomes real, transforming us and binding us together as a community. This transformation is not something we can fully explain, but it is a miracle we are invited to participate in.

As we navigate our faith, we are called to trust in the miraculous, to see God's hand at work in ways we cannot comprehend. By doing so, we open ourselves to being part of God's transformative work in the world. We are encouraged to let our faces shine with the light of Christ, carrying that light into the world and sharing the love, grace, and forgiveness that surpasses all understanding.

Key Takeaways

1. The story of Moses and the shining of his face after encountering God reminds us of the awe and fear that come with witnessing the divine. In our modern world, we often seek explanations for everything, but this can limit our ability to see the miraculous. We are called to embrace the mystery of God's presence and power. [26:20]
2. Over time, we have taught ourselves to rationalize away the supernatural aspects of faith, reducing it to community activities. Yet, at the heart of Christianity is the belief in miracles—events that reveal God's transformative power. We must be open to seeing and participating in these divine works. [30:15]
3. Communion is a powerful reminder of the mystery of faith. At the table, we encounter the love and sacrifice of Jesus Christ in a way that transcends understanding. This moment of transformation is a miracle we are invited to participate in, binding us together as a community. [33:41]
4. We are called to trust in the miraculous and see God's hand at work in ways we cannot comprehend. By doing so, we open ourselves to being part of God's transformative work in the world, sharing the love, grace, and forgiveness that surpasses all understanding. [37:16]
5. As we carry the light of Christ into the world, we are encouraged to let our faces shine with His love. This light is a testament to the miraculous work of God in our lives, and we are called to share it with others, being part of the divine transformation in the world. [43:37]
** [43:37]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:30] - Call to Worship
[01:15] - Opening Prayer
[02:00] - Hymn: Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise
[03:00] - Moses and the Shining Face
[05:30] - Fear of the Divine
[07:00] - Rationalizing Faith
[09:00] - The Mystery of Communion
[11:00] - Embracing the Miraculous
[13:00] - Transfiguration Sunday
[15:00] - Trusting in Miracles
[17:00] - Affirmation of Faith
[19:00] - Prayers for Healing
[21:00] - Confession and Forgiveness
[23:00] - Announcements and Opportunities to Serve
[25:00] - Closing and Peace

Bible Study Guide

Observation Questions

What was the reaction of the Israelites when Moses came down from Mount Sinai with his face shining? How did this reflect their understanding of the divine? [26:20]
How does the sermon describe the modern tendency to rationalize away the supernatural aspects of faith? [30:15]
What role does communion play in reminding us of the mystery and miraculous nature of our faith? [33:41]
How does the sermon suggest we should respond to the miraculous works of God in our lives today? [37:16]

Interpretation Questions

In what ways does the story of Moses' shining face challenge modern believers to reconsider their understanding of the miraculous? [26:20]
How might the tendency to rationalize faith impact the way individuals and communities experience God's presence? [30:15]
What does the sermon suggest about the significance of communion as a moment of transformation and divine encounter? [33:41]
How can believers cultivate a mindset that is open to recognizing and participating in the miraculous works of God? [37:16]

Application Questions

Reflect on a time when you witnessed something you couldn't explain. How did you respond, and how might you respond differently now in light of the sermon? [26:20]
Consider the ways you might have rationalized away the supernatural aspects of your faith. What steps can you take to embrace the mystery of God's presence more fully? [30:15]
How can you approach communion with a renewed sense of its miraculous nature? What practical steps can you take to prepare your heart for this encounter? [33:41]
Identify an area in your life where you struggle to see God's hand at work. How can you open yourself to the possibility of the miraculous in that situation? [37:16]
Think about how you can let your face "shine" with the light of Christ in your daily interactions. What specific actions can you take to share His love and grace with others? [43:37]
How can you encourage others in your community to recognize and celebrate the miraculous works of God? What role can you play in fostering a culture of awe and wonder? [37:16]
Reflect on the story of the Transfiguration. How can this story inspire you to trust in God's transformative power in your own life? [33:41]

Sermon Clips

"So at this point in Exodus, Moses has gone up and down Mount Sinai quite a few times. He's gone up Mount Sinai and talked to God. He's come down and relayed what God has said to the Israelites. He's gone back up and gotten the Ten Commandments written down on tablets. He's come back down and discovered that the Israelites got tired of waiting for him and built a calf out of gold that they could worship, smashed the tablets, had the golden calf destroyed, gone back up the mountain, and gotten the tablets again, gotten to speak to God again. And he has come down now from Mount Sinai after speaking to God and stands before the Israelites and his face shines, his skin glows. There's this supernatural radiance about Moses because he has been in the presence of God and the Israelites are afraid. 34 chapters into Exodus, after the Red Sea has been parted, after all the plagues have been brought down on Egypt, after Moses, through the power of God, has brought water out of rocks, after God has rained down manna from heaven, after God has surrounded the encampment with quail, after God has done all of these mighty and marvelous acts through Moses and through Aaron, Moses comes down and his skin shines, and the people of God are afraid." [00:24:14] (103 seconds)

"They are afraid of what has happened to Moses. They are afraid of what has happened to Moses while he was in the presence of God, advocating on their behalf. The people of God are afraid. I think it used to be easier to be afraid of God. It used to be easier to be afraid of God because we collectively didn't know as much. We couldn't explain as much. We looked at the world and there was a lot of stuff that we just didn't understand, a lot of things that we couldn't comprehend." [00:25:58] (37 seconds)

"Over the years, it's gotten easier and easier to not fear God, to take a step back, to not regard God. As we have figured things out in the world, as we have begun to understand things that go on in the world around us, as we have learned more, it's become easier and easier to take a step back from who God is. In my last appointment, in one of our Wednesday night worship services, we were talking about faith and we were talking about kind of the supernatural element of faith. And I had one woman who made the observation that we teach the faith out of our children." [00:27:04] (55 seconds)

"We teach faith out of our children. We teach ourselves. We teach our children. We teach the world around us that those supernatural things that happen, those miracles that happen, have some scientific explanation. We stop looking for God in our midst and Christianity and faith and religion just becomes about nice things that the community does together. Some sort of psychological or sociological analysis of the power of groups of people." [00:27:59] (40 seconds)

"Helen gives herself, gives her time, gives her talents, gives her gifts to make sure this table is set and prepared for us. And by coming together, we eat this bread and we drink from this cup. And Helen holds us together in a very particular way that defines what it means to be the people of Yadkinville United Methodist Church. And I think sometimes we forget that Helen doesn't give these gifts so that we think good of Helen. Helen gives us these gifts because she loves God." [00:29:08] (40 seconds)

"Because at this table, something happens that we cannot explain. Some miracle happens where we encounter Jesus Christ's offering for us. We can explain it, that it's a community ritual. And through this ritual, we become something more. That's true of any ritual. But at this table, we encounter the miracle of God's love that transforms us, that makes us different, that changes us in a very real way, in a way that we cannot explain." [00:29:46] (44 seconds)

"And I think sometimes when we encounter miraculous things in our lives, our instinct as people who know, our instinct as people who have resources, our instinct as people who are intelligent, our instinct as people who have lived life, is to say, well, that's for someone else. The miraculous stuff, the heavenly stuff, the stuff that we can't explain, that's for someone else. We have, in some places, and at some points in our lives, given up the miraculous in favor of the people who are realistic." [00:30:55] (41 seconds)

"Transfiguration Sunday, the Sunday that we celebrate and gather around today, asks ourselves the question, do we believe in miracles? Do we believe in the miraculous? As Valerie was talking to the children, that story of Jesus on the mountaintop is one of the hardest stories in Scripture, to preach. Because we want it to have some explanation. We want it to have some clear takeaway. We want it to have something that we can carry with us and something that calls us into action." [00:32:48] (38 seconds)

"The story of the transfiguration, the story of Moses's glowing skin as he comes down the mountain, is all about the miraculous power. The miraculous power of God to change us, to change the world, to change things. The transfiguration, the story of Moses coming down the mountain, asks us, do we believe in things that we cannot explain? Yes, we do. Do we believe that God makes the world different in ways we could never understand and never imagine? Yes." [00:33:20] (45 seconds)

"How can we be part of what God is doing if we can only focus on what we understand, if we only focus on those things that are real to us? How can we share the love, the grace, the forgiveness of God that surpasses all understanding if we are not willing and ready for it to be the miracle that it is? How can we be part of the miraculous if every time the miraculous happens, we look around and we go, well, that's for someone else who doesn't understand as well as I do." [00:35:03] (41 seconds)

"But the miracle here is that God shows up, that God is made real, that God's love enters into us, that God's love fills us, that God's love transforms us. The real miracle here is that something happens we do not understand. Do we trust that God has shown up? Do we trust that God is moving and working? Do we trust that miracles happen, can happen and will happen and are happening?" [00:36:35] (51 seconds)

"And we need to be better at seeing the miraculous, at seeing the powerful love of God. The powerful love of God that exists all around us. Because how can we be a part of that love? How can we be part of that grace? How can we be part of that mercy if we refuse to see? Do you believe in miracles? Do you see the miraculous things that are happening around you and for you? Do you see the places that God is lighting up our world?" [00:37:55] (38 seconds)

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