Living in the Spirit

October 5, 2020

Scripture Reading: Exodus 32:1-14

When the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people gathered around Aaron and said to him, ‘Come, make gods for us, who shall go before us; as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.’ Aaron said to them, ‘Take off the gold rings that are on the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.’ So all the people took off the gold rings from their ears, and brought them to Aaron. He took the gold from them, formed it in a mold, and cast an image of a calf; and they said, ‘These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!’ When Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation and said, ‘Tomorrow shall be a festival to the Lord.’ They rose early the next day, and offered burnt-offerings and brought sacrifices of well-being; and the people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to revel. –Exodus 32:1-6

People are too quickly fickle. Jumping from what they thought was one sure bet to another. That is dangerous at any time; it is deadly during a pandemic. I think of fickleness as a modern phenomenon, but obviously, it is not. Wearing masks, washing hands, distancing from others, grew old fast. What is difficult to understand is not how quickly the Israelites gave up on Moses’ return, but how quickly they gave up on God. I no longer think twice about washing my hands and putting my mask on before I get out of the car. These acts have become habits of the heart, ways to love my neighbor as I love myself. Who would have thought?

I try to envision what it must have been like for the Disciples following the death and resurrection of Jesus. The loss of a leader is always jarring. A new order must be established. Leadership transitions are influenced by the skills and understandings of the new regime. Some of the disciples returned to their previous occupations. They continued to interact with one another. Until finally, while gathering for the Pentecost observance, they met together and said Jesus had a vision for the world. He called us to make it happen and promised he we would still be with us in spirit, and we must respond. They had a job to do and began by picking someone to fill the vacancy of Judas. At that point, the Holy Spirit arrived. We continue that work today.

Prayer: Lord, help us to rise to your call in developing a world ruled by love. 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 America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.