Lifted High

Albert Bogle September 17, 2023 1 3

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John 3: 13-17, Numbers 21: 4-9 (NRSVA)

(3) 13 No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. 14 And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.

16 ‘For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.

17 ‘Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

 

(21) 4 From Mount Hor they set out by the way to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom; but the people became impatient on the way. 5 The people spoke against God and against Moses, ‘Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we detest this miserable food.’ 6 Then the Lord sent poisonous serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many Israelites died. 7 The people came to Moses and said, ‘We have sinned by speaking against the Lord and against you; pray to the Lord to take away the serpents from us.’ So Moses prayed for the people. 8 And the Lord said to Moses, ‘Make a poisonous serpent, and set it on a pole; and everyone who is bitten shall look at it and live.’ 9 So Moses made a serpent of bronze, and put it upon a pole; and whenever a serpent bit someone, that person would look at the serpent of bronze and live.

Robert Burns in one of his poems writes: “O wad some power the giftie gie us to see oursels as ithers see us. It wad frae mony a blunder free us, An' foolish notion: What airs in dress an' gait wad lea'e us, An' ev'n devotion!” In other words if we face the truth about ourselves, the truth can change us.

The story of the bronze serpent is a story of self recognition. God gave the Israelites the power to see what they had become. They had to face the fact that they were like snakes, backbiting and deceiving each other. Those who looked at the bronze serpent saw what they had become and it changed them.

This week we are being invited to stand at the foot of the cross and gaze upon Jesus who has become our truth and it is not pleasant. Yet to gaze on the crucified Christ is to receive healing and forgiveness coming to us down through the generations. But we must take a long gaze. Cross viewing is a time consuming  and costly occupation.

Laid Bare

Lord,

I had to turn my head away

From Mel Gibson’s film ‘The Passion’

I had to cover my face and close my eyes

The shame was too great

My shame

Laid bare

Becoming your shame

Your glory being tarnished

Your blood stained glory being traded

My shame paraded

Lifted high

For me to see

And Burns’ prayer answered

‘The giftie gie us’ touched my soul

Lord,

Help me look

Beyond the shame

And feel and understand

Your resurrection glory

Then show me how

To use the ‘the giftie yi gie us’

To make it into our story and your glory