500th anniversaries don’t come along all that often.  I feel a sense of privilege and a little awe to be around for this one – the 500th commemoration of Martin Luther posting his 95 theses.  This was an event that led to what came to be known as the Reformation of the church.  It was a time where the church rediscovered Christ and his gift of grace received through faith.  Yet God has always been for his people – even if we have covered him up and closed our ears, hearts and minds to his love.  For this reason, today we will look at God’s character as revealed to Moses in the cleft of the rock in Exodus 34:6-7.  This comes from the third of three readings from the Sinai idolatry cycle that we have been following for the past three weeks.  It is not the OT reading set down for Reformation Day… but it gets to the heart of what it was that Martin Luther helped the church rediscover all that time ago.  It also shows that God was giving his love way before Luther… for 500 years is a speck for the one who created time!  May we continue to receive through faith our loving God who is ‘compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness…’ (Exodus 34:6)