Exodus 3

'The place where you are standing is holy ground' (v.5). But what is 'holy ground'? And is the assembly hall at Warden Park school any more or less 'holy' than our church building at Sussex Road?

As God's revelation progresses into the New Testament, the idea of a 'holy place' being primarily a geographical location (e.g. the Temple in Jerusalem) gives way to an emphasis on the holy fulness of God being located in the person of Jesus Christ. And, following Jesus' ascension to glory, God now dwells in his followers through the presence of the Holy Spirit.

So for many of us, the places where we have been especially aware of God's holy presence are not necessarily 'religious' sites, so much as times and places where we have gathered to make ourselves open and available to God. For example, I think that at our first meeting at Warden Park a few weeks ago, when some of our young people were leading our service, many of us had a sense of God's special presence with us.

Back to Exodus 3: God tells Moses to take off his shoes and not to come any closer. You can come near to God, but be careful about coming near. Through Jesus, we now have confidence to enter the holiest place of all (Hebrews 10:19) - and we should not take that privilege lightly, wherever we are.