Introduction: I Am Who I Am
My son likes to play video games. I’ve watched him play and have noticed that the games he enjoys all have something in common. The protagonist, who the game-player identifies with, is on a quest, a quest to find some kind of treasure. The quest always involves dangers to be overcome and battles to be fought. Perhaps these games are so relatable because, in a way, they reflect our lives; many are on a quest to find meaning and purpose in their lives. We who love and follow Jesus have found our purpose, our meaning in Him, but we still long to know Him more.
In Exodus chapter 3, Moses encountered God who gave him a mission, a quest. He was to leave his peaceful life herding sheep, go back to Egypt, and tell Pharaoh to set God’s covenant people, the Israelites, free; to allow them to leave their life of slavery in Egypt. Moses had doubts about his ability to do this. He doubted that Pharaoh would listen to him and he doubted that the Israelites would believe he was sent by God. He asked God, “If I say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is His name?’ what shall I tell them? And God replied, “IAM WHO I AM; and He said, ‘Thus shall you say to the sons of Israel, I AM has sent me to you’” (Exodus 3:13-14). This title, I AM WHO I AM, is at the same time both self-explanatory and enigmatic. God always IS; He always was, and always will be; He is eternal and self-existent; He is forever I AM. But He wanted His people to know Him more, know Him better, and He said through His prophets, “You will seek me and find Me when you search for me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13), and “Seek the LORD that you may live...” (Amos 5:6). And some did; Hebrews 11 lists many of those heroes of the faith. David, a man after God’s own heart, who is mentioned briefly (Hebrews 11:32), is one of my heroes; not because he lived a perfect life, but because he sought God so wholeheartedly. As his son Solomon was preparing to build the temple, David advised him, “Now set your heart and your soul to seek the LORD your God….” (1 Chronicles 22:19). From his own personal experience of seeking God, David found Him to be “a shield about me, my glory and the One who lifts my head” (Psalm 3:3); “my King and my God” (Psalm 5:2); the One in whom he could take refuge (Psalm 7:1); his strength, his rock, his stronghold, the God of his salvation, the Most High (Psalm 18); his shepherd (Psalm 23); his light and salvation, his help (Psalm 27); the One who makes the dawn and the sunset shout for joy (Psalm 65:8).
This year’s theme: The Names Of Jesus
God, who changed human history by coming among us as Jesus the Son of God, was Himself unchanged. He was still the One who told Moses His name. In speaking to a group of Jews, Jesus made this statement: “Before Abraham was born, I am” (John 8:58). He also interpreted at least part of that name for us. In his gospel, John recorded seven “I am” statements made by Jesus: I am The Bread of Life; I am The Light of the World; I am The Door of the Sheep; I am The Good Shepherd; I am The Resurrection and the Life; I am The Way, The Truth and The Life; I am The True Vine. Those seven statements are the theme of the Grace Community Church 2023 Advent Devotional, which, as always, was written by members of our church for us all to help prepare our hearts to celebrate anew the advent of God coming among us and to anticipate His return.
I have a 93-year-old friend who, many years ago, traveled with his wife and young children to another country to encounter a primitive tribe and to introduce them to God’s love and mercy and the redemption and forgiveness available to them through Jesus’ death and resurrection. This man is a life-long learner who began studying quantum mechanics in his eighties. But what he loves most is to study his Bible to learn more about God. He is still learning and often says, “There’s always more; God is so much bigger than we can know.” As we read these pages, may we seek and search to know Him more.
And that’s a quest for a treasure worth finding!
Merry Christmas!