“Lord, who is like you among the gods? Who is like you, glorious in holiness, revered with praises, performing wonders? You stretched out your right hand, and the earth swallowed them. With your faithful love, you will lead the people you have redeemed; you will guide them to your holy dwelling with your strength.” Exodus 15:11-13
It’s 2020, and it’s going to be a Covid Christmas. A Christmas where many of us will be separated, or distanced as we call it now.
It’s a Christmas where shoppers will be anxious about being near another shopper’s face. It’s a Christmas without office parties. It’s a Christmas where family gatherings are meant to be smaller. It’s a Christmas where we’re encouraged not to hug anyone who’s not in our own household.
Never in my lifetime has there been a more bizarre, and restrictive Christmas.
Never have I known a Christmas where instead of hugs and kisses to greet loved ones, we’re meant to stay 2m apart.
That’s the threat of this virus. For many people, being close to someone who has covid could mean death.
But there’s a more deadly separation. There’s a greater risk of seeing someone face to face.
Rewind a few thousand years…
A family, a massive family, were slaves in Egypt. But their God rescued them from slavery and the brutality of their masters and promised them the most beautiful and safe family home.
It was a long journey, but there was one landmark moment, where the Egyptians were chasing, the Israelite family escaped as God parted the Red Sea, but the enemy chariots and army drowned as the tides returned. On dry land, they sang to their God. They sang to the God who was like no other god.
“Lord, who is like you among the gods? Who is like you, glorious in holiness, revered with praises, performing wonders?”
They had been rescued by the one true God. The Holy God. The God who was different, set apart, unique. The one who transcends all things.
There was no other God who could have rescued them.
There was no other God. Nobody could even get near Him.
A wee while after that event, God would tell Moses:
“You cannot see my face, for humans cannot see me and live.” Exodus 33:20
He is so utterly perfect in his holiness that no human could get close.
He is unapproachable in his holiness.
He is too immense, too strong, too pure for any person to look at.
If staring into the burning sun could blind us, imagine what looking at the glorious, holy God would do to us?
Spend 15 minutes with someone with covid and we’ll face a health battle.
Spend one millisecond in the presence of the Holy God and we would be gone.
Our weak, sinful human bodies couldn’t get near.
But… He stretched out his arm and rescued his people.
That’s why Christmas is phenomenal. We couldn’t get near the Holy God. The Holy God came near to us, to bring us near to Him.
O Come Let us Adore Him!
A thought to remember: There is no one like God, he is holy in every way.
A question to ask: How could you acknowledge and praise God for His holiness today?
A bit more to read: Exodus 15:1-21
A song to sing: Holy, Holy, Holy