Here's the reflection that I shared at St Catherine's Wickford this evening:
As they travelled through the wilderness, God’s presence was shown to the Israelites by a cloud and a fire (Numbers 9.15-end). These symbols help us to understand aspects of God’s support and presence in our lives too.
The cloud was both a guide to the Israelites and an immersive presence. When they were outside the cloud, the movements of the cloud were able to guide them on their journey through the wilderness and God continues to guide us as we pray, whether through the Bible’s teachings or through the prompting of our hearts. When they were within the cloud, they became immersed within it and surrounded by it. This provided protection for them but also, because the cloud could not be fully seen from the inside, revealed God’s omnipotence; the all-surpassing greatness of his being which can never be fully known or understood by human beings.
‘The Cloud of Unknowing’ is a Christian spiritual classic, written in the fourteenth century, which sets out to describe a transcendent God who exists beyond human knowledge and human language. The anonymous author asserts: " We can not think our way to God. He can be loved but not thought." So, we dwell in a not-knowing where contemplation, calm, and above all, love, are the way to understand the Divine.
The fire provides light, warmth and inspiration. The light of Christ is revelatory as it reveals the good and bad in our lives and communities. Light reveals those things that have been hidden so we can see their true nature; whether live-giving or life-denying. Fire also provides a warmth that encourages everyone to gather together around its source. The fire of God’s love is what draws us to church to gather together and together receive that love.
Finally, fire is inspiration, as was the case for the first disciples at Pentecost when the Holy Spirit came upon them with tongues of fire giving them the gift of inspired utterance in a number of different languages so they could speak God’s message to all that were present in Jerusalem at that time. God continues to inspire and equip his people who turn to him in prayer.
Like the people of Israel, may we also know God as guide, as omnipotent, as revelation, as love and as inspiration. And may we pray that we might experience him in each of these different ways. Amen.
