“Now Moses used to take a tent and pitch it outside the camp some distance away, calling it the “tent of meeting.” Anyone inquiring of the Lord would go to the tent of meeting outside the camp. And whenever Moses went out to the tent, all the people rose and stood at the entrances to their tents, watching Moses until he entered the tent. As Moses went into the tent, the pillar of cloud would come down and stay at the entrance, while the Lord spoke with Moses. Whenever the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance to the tent, they all stood and worshiped, each at the entrance to their tent. The Lord would speak to Moses
Exodus 33: 9-11
face to face, as one speaks to a friend. Then Moses would return to the camp, but his young aide Joshua son of Nun did not leave the tent.”
Recently, a passage in Exodus reminded me of the work we do at Laity Lodge Youth Camp and Family Camp. In Exodus 33:7-11 we learn how Moses set up a tent of meeting outside the camp when the Israelites were wandering in the wilderness. In this tent “the Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend.” All the people of Israel had helped to build this tent. In Exodus 31 and 32, we learn how God called the people of Israel to give money and to offer their skills of artistry and craftsmanship.
Today, we still have special places that we set aside to meet with God. They aren’t tabernacles or temples, but they are dedicated spaces for encountering God. Like churches. Laity Lodge Family Camp and LLYC are not churches, but they are spaces dedicated to God. For decades, our camps have offered experiences through which kids and families commune with God. For decades, our staff has sought to create experiences that allow room for God to speak to families. What an honor this work is.
This summer, like the many before it, we are praying for kids and families to encounter God in the Frio Canyon. I look forward to watching as our God uses our staff to construct these experiences.
In Exodus 33:11 we read that Joshua, Moses’ assistant, would linger in the tent of meeting even after Moses had left. He would linger in God’s presence. Slow to leave. Let there be many opportunities for kids and families to linger in God’s presence at LLYC and LLFC this summer.
Questions to Consider