He calls us friend.

My morning began earlier than normal with some reading in  Deuteronomy. Moses wrote:

And I pleaded with the LORD at that time, saying, 'O Lord GOD, you have only

begun to show your servant your greatness and your mighty hand.  For what

god is there in heaven or on earth who can do such works and mighty acts

as yours?  Please let me go over and see the good land beyond the Jordan,

that good hill country and Lebanon.'

I always feel so sorry for Moses at this point.  He put up with that great crowd of ornery people for forty years in the wilderness, yet one moment of disobedience kept him from seeing the Promised Land.  It's so sad.  I don't really understand why God chose for it to be this way, but as my mom pointed out once, Moses did finally make it there!  Jesus took Peter and John up on the mountain, and

behold, two men were talking with him, Moses and Elijah, who appeared

in glory and spoke of his departure, which he was about to accomplish

in Jerusalem.

- Luke 9:30-31 -

I suppose it wasn't quite as exciting to finally set foot in the land God promised after living in a heavenly country for several hundred years.  But since my thoughts had led me to this moment, I started thinking about why God sent Moses and Elijah down to talk to Jesus about His death.  They were obviously in on the plan at this point.  Had the LORD been explaining this great mystery since they entered heaven?  

But what struck me the most this morning was that Jesus was discussing all that was about to happen to Him with these two men, men of faith to be sure, but just men all the same.  I marvel again that He created us to be in fellowship with Him, that He calls us friend.

Thus the LORD used to speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. (Exodus 33:11a)

No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. (John 15:14-15)

And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man.  He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God." (Revelation 21:3)