A Celebration of Finishing

“So Moses finished the work. Then, the cloud covered the tabernacle of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle."” (Ex. 40:33b,34)

Reading Through the Bible in 2010 (Ex. 39-40)

Yesterday evening our favorite north wood’s logger and his wife came over to eat with us. Shadows were lengthening across the lake as they arrived. They had just walked in when the telephone rang. Our “neighbor” across the lake was stuck in a snowdrift. Could Charlie come? Charlie and Brent drove over and pulled her out with a towrope attached to Brent’s truck and she headed back to civilization. The men returned –mission accomplished, task completed – to find Martha and I curled up in front of the fire, glasses of cranberry juice in hand, catching up on life’s latest happenings.

I could tell you more about our time together. About how I made meat loaf and mashed potatoes and “southern” beans, like Mrs. Hartley taught me as a young bride in South Carolina many years ago. About how Martha brought a cherry pie made with cherries from their very own tree and applesauce grown from fruit picked in their back yard. About how much we laughed as we ate our dinner.

Afterwards, Ethan called from Alaska and Ted called from Appleton –just to check in. When they heard that Brent was here, they wanted to talk to him about chain saws and deer feed and trees they planned to plant. Lots of camaraderie and hilarity and good conversation. When they left, we had a prayer time. As we finished praying, I looked up at the peaceful fire glowing with the crackling wood that Brent had cut for us last summer, and I thought again about what a gift friends are as we travel along the joyful journey toward heaven.

My friend, Annabelle, once gave me a plaque that said, “I didn’t choose my friends, the Lord gave them to me.” So true!

Later, the dishes were put away and the house was quiet. A huge full moon was shining over the lake. Charlie and I read Exodus 40 together.

“Why, we’re done!” I said. “We’ve finished Genesis and Exodus. I think God gave us tonight’s dinner as a feast to celebrate being one twelfth of the way through the Bible in 2010! ”

As he reached up and turned off the light, Charlie smiled and said, “Maybe, Betsy.” As I drifted off to sleep, I knew it was.

“So Moses finished the work.” The extensive work of completing the tabernacle was accomplished in nine short months. The people worked together and they did it. They must have been very excited. We are told that “the cloud covered the tabernacle of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.”

Isn’t there a great joy in finishing something? Whether it’s a little task or a big project, it’s always “a fight to the finish” to get it done. But what a wonderful feeling to be able to say, “I’ve finished.”

Today we leave Exodus, the book that mean’s departure. As we exit Exodus we head toward Leviticus, the book of holiness. Leviticus shows how God’s people are to fulfill their priestly calling in their worship and walk. Let’s plunge in and see what new lessons God will teach us about “our Joyful Journey.” February 1st is a great time to start reading through the Bible with us.

Maybe we can look forward to another celebration at the end of February!