In the Spring of 2023 former US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy declared loneliness in America as an "epidemic". In the time since there is a growing body of research documenting the ways that loneliness and social isolation are affecting each of us and our communities. Ironically, the very things we reach for in our loneliness - social media, streaming platforms, online communities - only seem to be exacerbating it. The reasons we feel alone might be unique to our age, but the feeling of separation is not. In fact, it goes all the way back to our first parents in the story of the Bible, in Genesis 1 - 3.
The bible begins in a garden, with God, people and the natural world in seamless harmony. The bible calls this Shalom. But this Shalom - peace, wholeness, rightness - unravels when Adam & Eve sin. And the consequence? They have to leave the garden; and not just the garden, but God's personal presence. The rest of the story unfolds the way it does because there is separation between God & humanity. With God, we have trust, peace, and love. Separated from God by sin, Shalom unravels into fear, suspicion and shame. So, by the time we reach the book of Exodus the garden of Genesis 1 & 2, has turned into a city with human slavery.
How will God overcome this separation? He comes here, to dwell with us. That is the gift and great twist of the story at the end of Exodus. God chooses to dwell with his people in a tabernacle - a portable sanctuary. That way, even here in the desert, God's people can know that now, we are never alone.