Exodus 32, 7-14

Have you ever felt called to prayer? That's what we say when we earnestly appeal to someone's conscience. That's what Moses did. And the one he called to prayer was God Himself. He was brave. Just moments ago, God had handed Moses the Ten Commandments written in stone on Mount Sinai. And now, God heard that His people had already turned away from Him. Moses, their leader, had been away for too long. And then, among the people, they gathered all the gold and molded a golden calf to worship. This angered God against His people.

Reading the Bible passage:

God is truly hurt, one could say. But Moses doesn't abandon his people. He appeals to God's conscience, prays for his people. God says: Go down to YOUR people, they have acted shamefully. Moses says: It is YOUR people, as stubborn as they are. YOU led them out of Egypt with great power. Should all that have been in vain? He reminds God of His promises in his intercessory speech.

Perhaps, dear congregation, that's the essence of prayer: reminding God of His promises.

This story can be understood as a symbolic tale between God and humanity. God shows us what we have lost. That we should trust in Him. What we do with the self-made gods is that we rely solely on ourselves. On our strength and our securities. Sometimes we are so afraid that we feel we must do everything ourselves, almost in panic. Everything must be possible. And in doing so, we fail to realize that first and foremost, we should have trust in God. Through His anger, God shows us this forgotten side. He takes us humans seriously and holds us accountable.

The people have terminated their friendship with God, and God states: Now it is no longer "my" people. By being angry, God holds up a mirror to humanity. This is how it is, this is how it will be when trust is destroyed.

And where is Moses in all this?

Moses tries to persuade God in prayer. When I speak to God, it happens that I speak to Him and when I feel abandoned by Him, I remind God. Is this really what you want? For me to feel abandoned by God and left alone on my paths? Moses succeeds in appeasing God's anger.

God regrets what He intended to do to His people. Could God also be a mirror for us in this? So that we also let go of some of our anger? So that in a dispute, instead of being so disappointed and turning away from each other, we hold onto the promise, to what once began the affection towards each other, and turn towards each other, clarify things, and are open to a new future? Thus, anger doesn't just dissipate, but transforms into energy that enables a new beginning.

In these words, we hear of an extraordinary moment in the history of God with His people. God repented. What God repents is not insignificant. He refrains from destruction.

And He does not do this because of Moses' intercession. Here we read about nothing less than the power of intercession. Intercession wrestles with God, one could say; intercession can direct or redirect God's will. That's what we hope for like Moses did back then. And not to cease praying to God for those who urgently need Him.

When one prays for others and wrestles with God like Moses, in praying, one realizes how much they love the people, how much they become and remain their people, even if they grumble and are stubborn during desert times. And especially in times of crisis, it is important to become aware of this love, this sense of belonging. Praying in this way not only changes God, who is not a rigid principle, but also changes Moses in his attitude towards the people. One would want to remind Moses of his own words a few verses later in the story.

Because barely does he see the catastrophe with the golden calf upon his return, he smashes the stone tablets, written with God's finger, in anger. Now one must throw the promises back in his face. Moses, quite human!

The Bible wouldn't be the Bible if it didn't include reality. For this is how it is with our prayers: when we pray for the health of a good friend, a partner, unfortunately – perhaps – the prayer might not be answered in a way that cures the illness. But it does something in me, in the relationship.

When we pray for a ceasefire and peace in the world, it doesn't mean that the ceasefire and peace will immediately begin. But the prayer creates a sense of connection with the people.

When we pray for the end of a conflict in the family, it won't immediately lead to a big embrace, but it will open my arms wider. When we pray for the church to remain a place of joyful news and active love, it won't instantly improve its structures and people won't suddenly flock to it. But I will give words and actions to my prayer and behave more caring.

In praying, I see things in a different light and with a broader perspective. In praying, I don't ignore the facts, however hopeless they may seem to me. In praying, I go beyond myself and realize: It's not always just about me. In praying, I remember images of how things can be, how they should be. In praying, the images of how things should be meet with the reality that is. In praying, I give room again to the promises in the face of the lamentable situation.

When praying, I throw an anchor into the future and hold onto it. In praying, I bring the future into the present. Praying doesn't immediately change reality, but it changes me, the pray-er, and my relationship with those I pray for. Praying creates solidarity. And things unfold differently when we bring them into prayer.

We are in the liturgical season of Easter.

"A Christian prayer should actualize a piece of resurrection and not linger in a state before Easter," wrote the mystic and theologian Dorothee Sölle (1929-2003). "We no longer expect miracles from outside in prayer, because we are ourselves involved in the miracle of transformation and in prayer, we prefigure our future." Moses does that; God's anger moved him to do so. Thus, Moses encourages me to pray against the feeling of God's absence and against any angry turning away from God, and to remind Him, God Himself, of His promises. This not only feels good, it also changes the world and makes it mine and God's world.

Amen.