Sacrifices

The Ever-Present God

Brothers and sisters,

We have misunderstood suffering.

We have built an entire theology on a false premise — the premise that God is somewhere else.

We imagine Him distant. Watching. Waiting. Deciding whether to intervene. We assume that if we cry louder, sacrifice harder, intensify enough — perhaps He will step in.

But what if that assumption is the very root of our misery?

What if God was never absent?

The Lie of Escalation

Human beings believe that suffering can be solved by multiplying it.

The Golden Calf, Seen from the Edge

I did not go forward when Aaron called for gold.

Not because I was wiser.
Not because I understood anything better than the others.

I did not go forward because I had nothing to give.

When the call went out—“Bring your gold, your earrings, your bracelets”—the camp stirred like a hive struck by a stick. People rushed. Hands trembled with urgency. Pouches were opened. Jewelry came off necks and arms with a speed I had never seen before. Gold flashed everywhere in the sun, bright as fire.

And something else flashed too.

Pride.

When Giving Everything Still Isn’t Trust

Let me tell you a story you already know—but maybe not in this way.

The people of Israel had been freed from slavery. They had crossed the sea. They had seen miracles. And then Moses went up the mountain—and did not come back.

Days passed. Then weeks.

And the people became afraid.

Not just afraid of dying in the desert, but afraid that God Himself had gone silent.

And when God feels absent, people don’t usually stop believing.
They start doing.

They say, “We must act. We must fix this. We must help God along.”

Sacrifices