Tag Archives: Exodus

Loss not Toss

JesusCryingEarthLiving in the Spirit
September 9, 2014

 Scripture Reading: Exodus 14:19-31

 So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and at dawn the sea returned to its normal depth. As the Egyptians fled before it, the Lord tossed the Egyptians into the sea. The waters returned and covered the chariots and the chariot drivers, the entire army of Pharaoh that had followed them into the sea; not one of them remained. But the Israelites walked on dry ground through the sea, the waters forming a wall for them on their right and on their left.

 Thus the Lord saved Israel that day from the Egyptians; and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. Israel saw the great work that the Lord did against the Egyptians. So the people feared the Lord and believed in the Lord and in his servant Moses. —Exodus 14:27-31

He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? –Micah 6:8

Our scripture today is a really tough one for me. As I read it over and over again trying to make sense of it, the little song created around Micah 6:8 kept playing in my mind. The idea of God tossing anyone into the sea is unimaginable. What was God thinking? While our story does not come from this perspective, the Egyptians were God’s children also. Now I can understand the Egyptians having to face the consequences of their own actions, driving recklessly into harm’s way attempting to reclaim their slaves. And I can identify with the Israelites looking back and seeing their oppressors swamped by the returning waters and the Israelites seeing God’s hand in their resulting salvation.

There are a variety of definitions for the Hebrew naar* word translated “tossing” by the NRSV. The word “toss” is not among the definitions in the Strong’s or the NAS Exhaustive Concordances. Overthrew is as is shaken. Among the other words identified as possible meaning, the word “lose” particularly caught my attention. I can image God feeling a great sense of loss from losing the Egyptians.

Prayer: God of all, expand our vision to encompass all your children in our circle of love. Heal the wounds inflicted on us by others enabling us to love them as you do. Heal the wounds of those who strike out at us enabling them to find the wholeness of your love. Amen.

*http://biblehub.com/hebrew/5287.htm

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

God of Wonder

partingredsea08Living in the Spirit
September 8, 2014

 Scripture Reading: Exodus 14:19-31

 Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea. The Lord drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night, and turned the sea into dry land; and the waters were divided. The Israelites went into the sea on dry ground, the waters forming a wall for them on their right and on their left. The Egyptians pursued, and went into the sea after them, all of Pharaoh’s horses, chariots, and chariot drivers. At the morning watch the Lord in the pillar of fire and cloud looked down upon the Egyptian army, and threw the Egyptian army into panic. He clogged their chariot wheels so that they turned with difficulty. The Egyptians said, ‘Let us flee from the Israelites, for the Lord is fighting for them against Egypt.’ — Exodus 14:19-25

The second movie I ever saw as a child was The Ten Commandments. Thus Cecil B. DeMille’s rendition of the Israelites crossing the sea will probably always pop into my brain whenever I read our scripture today. I now know that high drama is not reality but in some instances it may speak the truth more than the real situation. The truth is that Moses believed in the God he had encountered in Midian as did apparently at least a fragment of the Israelites back in Egypt. Some were probably revolutionaries itching to fight for their freedom. But for some the tradition of the God of Abraham had remained a vital part of their lives as it was passed down through the generations. The remaining multitudes were hungry for a better life and were willing to follow those who promised it.

The anthropologist Margaret Mead said, Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has. She is describing story after story in the Bible. None more obvious than Jesus and his disciples. That is our heritage in faith and one we must cling to in times like these when God’s love is the only solution to the many evils that we face.

We are called to remember the traditions of the first disciples sent by Jesus into the world to spread the news of God’s love, the salvation given us through Jesus Christ, and the guidance of the Holy Spirit. We spread that word best by living it.

Prayer: God of Wonder, keep afresh the dreams you planted in us when we first discovered you. Make them our vision for the world today so that we might live into them. Amen

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Sing a New Song

newdoxologyLiving in the Spirit
September 3, 2014

 Scripture Reading: Psalm 149 

Praise the Lord! Sing to the Lord a new song,
   his praise in the assembly of the faithful.
Let Israel be glad in its Maker;
   let the children of Zion rejoice in their King.
Let them praise his name with dancing,
   making melody to him with tambourine and lyre.
For the Lord takes pleasure in his people;
   he adorns the humble with victory. —Psalm 149:1-4

The Psalmist who wrote Psalm 149 was apparently relating the celebration made by the Israelites, after crossing the Jordan in the exodus from Egypt, to the celebration of the Hebrew people on their return to their homeland after being in exile. Even though verse four indicates that God adorns the humble with victory, neither of these outcomes was the result of war. God guided Moses’ leadership and the Israelites themselves by fire and clouds as they departed Egypt. God worked through a non-Hebrew King, Cyrus, to free the Hebrews from exile. What the Psalmist describe as vengeance was actually experienced as justice.

Singing a new song to the Lord, recognizes that there was an old, cherished song. This new song from Psalms 149 resulted from the joy of freedom from exile and the return to the homeland. It harkened back to the freeing of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. Are we still singing? Are there yet more “new songs” to be written? A new song was sung with the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. The first verse of a new song was written at Pentecost. Other verses were added as the good news of Jesus Christ spread throughout the world. This “song” is sung in every language in the world and celebrated in the beauty of native dances from the Congo to New York City. I believe, there are other new songs longing to be written about oneness and justice that are waiting to be sung in celebration of God’s great freeing of all people from the chains of oppression and the pain of disharmony. Is God expecting us to add a verse or two?

Prayer: Praise God from whom all blessings flow;
praise God, all creatures here below;
  praise God above the heavenly host;
Creator, Christ and Holy Ghost. A-men.*

 *United Church of Christ Doxology

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Negativity

Praise the LordLiving in the Spirit
August 27, 2014

 Scripture Reading: Psalm 105:1-6, 23-26, 45b

 O give thanks to the Lord, call on his name,
   make known his deeds among the peoples.
Sing to him, sing praises to him;
   tell of all his wonderful works. — 105:1-2

I must confess I get a little tired of those people who always see through rose colored glasses. They never see problems, everything is beautiful to them. I am probably a little jealous to be honest. Analytical by nature, I do see both the pros and the cons of life.

Recently I have been working on a business plan for one segment of our regional church’s responsibilities. The guideline I am following asked for a summary of the state of the entity about which I am writing. Declining membership, declining offerings, and staff cuts is depressing to write. It is true though, and it is something with which we must deal, if we are to carry out the mission of Christ.

I also read an editorial in a newspaper today about a poll that indicated the vast majority of the American public hold the perception that the Affordable Care Act has been a miserable failure. Not so by most measures, millions of people who did not have health care now do, computer glitches have been fixed. Negotiations have occurred with business to fix some areas that caused unexpected issues. The problem is that is not what we hear on the news. Every problem is breaking news that we hear ad nauseam while the successes, if told at all, are on the back page. And opponents of the law still rant regularly that it is the worst law ever implemented.

Psalm 105 starts out with exquisite praise of God then leads into reports of the horrible deeds done against the Israelites in Egypt. At the end it recognizes that God sent Moses and Aaron that they might keep his statutes and observe his laws. Isn’t that interesting? It does not say Moses subsequently led them out of bondage. It praises God for the privilege to serve God. In all our negativity that is something to think about.

Prayer: Almighty God, lead us forward as your servants knowing that our call is to serve, the results are yours. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights reserved